


The Battle

by SourwolfZiam



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Bands, Battle of the Bands, Boys In Love, But it's one-sided hate, Competitiveness, Fluff, Friendship, Love/Hate Relationship, M/M, Mature Sexual Content, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, NCT Family feelings, NeoCity, Non-Penetrative Sex, Not even real hate, Recreational Drinking, Romantic Gestures, The Foreign Swaggers, United2, WayV - Freeform, boys being dumb, dreamies, everyone is competitive, happy ending!, kinda enemies to lovers, other Kpop groups mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:54:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21617179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SourwolfZiam/pseuds/SourwolfZiam
Summary: "We need a new guitarist""I know""Jaehyun is not playing for TFS anymore""I know""You know we need him"Doyoung looks up."The last time I saw him was at Taeyong's birthday party. Remember what I said to him?"Johnny rolls his eyes, "We all threaten to chop someone's balls off, I'm sure he didn't take it personally".Or, The Battle of The Bands AU that everyone wanted.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 18
Kudos: 255





	The Battle

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!!! This idea came out of nowhere while I was in a taxi, and I couldn't NOT write it. 
> 
> I loved writing this, and I hope you all enjoy!!!!

Doyoung is sitting in the food court, eating his lunch while writing down lyrics when Johnny joins him, his tray full of carbs.

The taller man was not only NeoCity's drummer but also a basketball player, with the new season starting soon.

"Doyoung" Johnny says, and the younger man immediately sighs at his tone.

Here we go again.

"Hyung" he replies as he turns back to his notes.

"We need a new guitarist"

"I know"

"Jaehyun is not playing for TFS anymore"

"I know"

"You know we need him"

Doyoung looks up.

"The last time I saw him was at Taeyong's birthday party. Remember what I said to him?"

Johnny rolls his eyes, "We all threaten to chop someone's balls off, I'm sure he didn't take it personally".

-

"I took it personally" Jaehyun says breathlessly before giving a grunt as he continues doing his situps.

Johnny rolls his eyes to the heavens as he begs for patience.

"Come on, Jae" Johnny says as he pulls his shirt off, sweaty from lifting weights, "You know how Doyoung gets! He was making a joke. You know you want to join NeoCity"

Johnny gives a winning smile.

Jaehyun manages to raise an eyebrow, before giving a smirk.

"Okay. I'll audition" Jaehyun says, now lying flat on his back, his head turned to a happy Johnny, "But".

Johnny's smile dims.

"But what?" He asks warily.

Jaehyun's smirk widens.

"Doyoung has to ask me himself" Jaehyun says and Johnny groans.

"He wants me to ask him to do an audition to join -my- band?" Doyoung asks disbelievingly, arms crossed over his chest.

Johnny nods, twirling his sticks between his fingers. The band was in their practice room in the university's music department. This space has been permanently booked by them for 3 years now, and it even had a sign with the band's logo on the door.

"He can fuck off" Doyoung says, slowly transitioning from feeling indignant to fuming, "The nerve of this guy. I'll be right back" and with that, the group leader stomps out of the room.

"I think Jaehyun would rather fuck him" Yuta drawls, sitting on the floor as he strums his guitar. Taeil, polishing the neck of his bass guitar, snorts and Johnny grins, giving another nod.

Johnny hopes Jaehyun is somewhere an annoyed Doyoung and a pair of balls-chopping shears won’t find him.

-

Doyoung is on the second floor of the building trying to find Jaehyun when he comes across Taeyong and Jungwoo sitting in the postgraduate student lounge.

Majority of the campus' best bands studied in the arts faculty, which meant that they all tended to know where the others' practice spaces and resting areas were.

Doyoung opens his mouth to ask the two men if they knew where Jaehyun was.

"He's on the top floor in the vinyl room" Taeyong says in a bored tone without needing Doyoung to say anything.

The older man already declared himself Switzerland years ago when the rivalry between NeoCity and TFS heated up, as he had friends in both bands, and didn't want to take sides.

"Thanks, Yongie hyung" Doyoung says and uses the elevator to get to the 15th floor.

He doesn’t bother knocking as he barges into the vinyl room, eyes narrowing as he takes in Jaehyun's back. The younger man was completely focused on his laptop while working on designing the music that would go on the blank records on the table.

Doyoung couldn’t help but appreciate the quality instrumental that was playing throughout the room. He hated to admit it, but Jaehyun was an amazing sound designer, which is why TFS is one of the best bands on campus, and why Doyoung both disliked and grudgingly admired him.

When Jaehyun starts singing softly along to a particularly sweet sounding trumpet playing, Doyoung clears his throat, smirking at how Jaehyun startles, spinning around in his chair to face him.

Doyoung doesn’t like the way Jaehyun immediately relaxes, a slow, easy smile crossing his stupid face.

"Doie" Jaehyun says and Doyoung almost snarls.

"Jung" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun's smile grows wider, "Why are you still making my life difficult?"

"What do you mean, darling?" Jaehyun asks innocently, and Doyoung does snarl this time, "All I want is for you to ask me nicely to be in your band"

"In your dreams" Doyoung snaps, standing still as Jaehyun gets out of his chair, walking towards him, "And you'd have to audition first. No one just gets into the best band on this campus"

"Second best" Jaehyun says immediately and Doyoung rolls his eyes, "All I want is one please, and I'm yours"

Doyoung ignores the shiver that goes down his spine at the way Jaehyun's voice deepens.

"Jaehyun, we're not doing this right now" Doyoung says evenly, pressing a hand against Jaehyun's chest to halt his approach/p>

"Why not?" Jaehyun drawls, ever the smug bastard as he leans his hand against the door next to Doyoung's head, "We haven't hooked up since Taeyong's birthday party, and I know you want to"

Doyoung swallows. He couldn't afford any distractions, especially not right now, and that's all casual sex led to. 

"Just come to auditions" Doyoung bites out, giving Jaehyun a final glare before leaving.

He takes a deep breath in the elevator.

Jaehyun grins as he returns to his desk.

He and Doyoung's love/hate relationship has been going for years now, and Jaehyun loves the banter between them, especially when it led to amazing sex. 

The hate was mostly for show after a few months, especially as Doyoung started to get to know Jaehyun as someone more than just his rival's guitarist. The two men did enjoy hanging out together, whether it be listening to music or binge watching shitty Indie movie. Their friendship was precious to Jaehyun.

Then they started sleeping together last year, and Jaehyun thought it meant they were moving towards a relationship.

But Kim Doyoung Does Not Date, and Jaehyun took whatever he could get. He kept the bickering going, and when Doyoung had time for him between leading NeoCity and trying to complete his degree, Jaehyun happily came running.

Jaehyun made sure to never show true his feelings beyond being an annoyance to Doyoung and being his booty call

However, with Sehun having graduated and leaving NeoCity, he now had an opportunity to integrate himself further into Doyoung's life.

Doesn’t mean he didn't like being a cheeky bastard about it.

Jaehyun gets a message a few minutes later.

'Please'

He grins.

'See you tomorrow afternoon' he sends back.

'Whatever'

-

That evening is the annual Bandfire.

It's held a month after uni begins and takes place in the woods behind the Geology building. A few bonfires are lit, drinks flow, and all the campus' bands get together to hang out.

It's a good way to see whose still around, who is new, and psych the competition out.

Doyoung arrives late, having stayed late in the studio doing some recording. He spots his friends all sitting in a huge circle around a fire, drinking and laughing.

As he walks towards them he smiles and shouts out greetings to friends and acquaintances.

He rolls his eyes when he sees Jaehyun standing with KARD, leaning against a tree while drinking from his bottle of beer, laughing at something Matthew said. Probably something dumb.

Jaehyun makes eye contact with him and winks, smirking when Doyoung flashes him a middle finger.

Doyoung notices how Lisa, the guitarist of TFS, is throwing glances at Jaehyun as if wanting to go over to him, but hesitant to do so. Thomas, leader and frontman of TFS, taps Lisa's shoulder to get her attention again, and the Thai girl looks at him almost guiltily.

Interesting. Thomas wasn’t the forgiving kind so it’s not surprising to Doyoung that the leader of TFS would forbid his members from talking to Jaehyun after he left the band. Doyoung just thought that since Lisa and Jaehyun had such a strong bond, she wouldn't give in. But alas.

Doyoung reaches his friends and sits next to Kun, leader and main vocalist of WayV, who he playfully bumps with his shoulder. Kun gives him a brilliant smile and hands him a bottle of beer, which Doyoung takes gratefully.

He drinks and listens to his friends' chatter around him. Mark and Haechan from Dreamies were DJing at the moment, so there was a weird mixture of rapping and Adele music playing.

Jaehyun eventually joins them and sits next to Doyoung, brushing against his side, which Doyoung ignores.

"Hey" Doyoung hears next to him, and he hates that he enjoys how Jaehyun's voice becomes warm and soft when he talks to him.

He looks at the guitarist.

"What" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun's eyes crinkle before he hands Doyoung a s'more.

Doyoung takes it, pretending to look at it suspiciously.

"Trying to buy my love?" Doyoung asks sarcastically, and rolls his eyes again when Jaehyun nods, biting into his own s'more.

Doyoung allows Jaehyun to lean his thigh against the older man's.

The karaoke machine eventually comes out and the members of TWICE squeal loudly before jumping on the makeshift stage, picking a bouncy song that has everyone on their feet.

Doyoung switches to lemonade halfway through the night, allowing Jaehyun to fill up his glass whenever he needed it.

The two men didn’t talk much, but Doyoung did quietly enjoy his warm presence next to him. This... thing between them is still relatively new, even after a year, so while Doyoung let himself indulge once in a while, he still kept Jaehyun at an arm's length; catching feelings led to distractions, which led to bad grades and poor performances. The younger man seemed to not mind their arrangement, so Doyoung kept indulging.

And God, it felt good.

Somehow Kun convinces him to sing with him. After two SuJu songs, they stumble offstage, Doyoung grinning widely, his arm slung around the Chinese man.

The smile slips off his face when Thomas suddenly steps in front of him. The American has a pleasant smile on his face which immediately grates Doyoung.

"Doyoung, how are you?" Thomas asks and across his shoulder, Doyoung could see Jaehyun walking towards them.

"I was doing good up until a few seconds ago" Doyoung replies, pleased at how Thomas barely restrains himself from rolling his eyes.

The two men have hated each other since first year. Both being super competitive and the best vocalists of their class has not inspired friendship.

"I hear you're poaching my guitarist" Thomas says, and Doyoung barely has time to snort before Jaehyun steps up next to him.

"Former guitarist, Tommy" Jaehyun says, his voice unfriendly.

Jaehyun had not left TFS under friendly terms. Thomas' gaze cools.

"Jae" Thomas switching to English, "Where have you been, man?"

"Around" Jaehyun says shortly, before turning to Doyoung, "I'm gonna go. Early day tomorrow"

Doyoung nods, watching how Thomas' jaw tightens.

Jaehyun leaves, quickly followed by Thomas who barely looks at them again as he returns to his own band.

"It’s going to be a long year" Kun says dryly, and Doyoung nods.

-

Much later, Doyoung is laying in his bed, unable to fall asleep.

He came back from the Bandfire just beforevmidnight and spent some time editing a music sheet before falling asleep. Johnny, who shares an apartment with him, was sleeping over at Taeyong’s.

Doyoung sighs. He picks up his phone and pulls up the number he needs. After a quick text he goes to the kitchen and drinks a glass of cold water.

A few minutes there's a knock on the front door, and with his blanket dragging behind him, Doyoung opens the door for Jaehyun.

"Goodnight, Doie" Jaehyun murmurs, kissing Doyoung's nape softly as he holds the older man.

"Shh" Doyoung says, pressing against Jaehyun, "Sleep"

Jaehyun smiles, but stays quiet, counting Doyoung's breathing as the singer falls asleep.

-

Doyoung wakes up the following morning to no Jaehyun which is good, because it means no time wasted having to kick him out. Jaehyun somehow always manages to stay an extra few hours.

Doyoung finds the note where Jaehyun always places it, under his pillow. For some reason, the younger man thinks Doyoung enjoys receiving these notes in the mornings when Jaehyun cant stay.

The older man opens it with a smile.

‘Hi, darling"

Doyoung rolls his eyes.

"I have an early meeting so I can’t stay and cook you breakfast, maybe even get lucky with some morning sex"

As if.

"But I wanted you to know that I enjoyed last night, even if you did just call me at 4am to spoon you. I'll see you later for my winning audition. Jae xx"

"Cocky" Doyoung mutters as he opens his bedside drawer and takes out the small box he keeps there to place Jaehyun's letter in.

He then sighs, stretches, before getting out of bed to shower.

-

Jaehyun leaves his group study that afternoon with enough time to get back to his apartment to put away his books, make himself lunch back before returning to the music department where the auditions are being held. His guitar is in its holder slung over his shoulder, and when the elevator opens onto the 5th floor, Jaehyun pushes his shoulders back, expression cool and unbothered behind his Aviators as he reaches NeoCity's practice room.

Outside the closed door was a row of 10 seats, nine of them filled with people holding guitars. Some looked familiar and some look fresh-faced and new. None of them were friends, however, so Jaehyun wouldn’t feel bad about beating them. He sits next to a pretty girl with bright blue hair and heavy eyeliner. He gives her a perfunctory smile, which she returns.

Just then the door opens and Doyoung steps out. His eyes narrow briefly on the two of them, before looking at everyone else. Jaehyun sighs. He was getting none for atleast a week if Doyoung thought he was flirting with this girl.

"Welcome everyone" Doyoung says, putting on a friendly, gummy smile, "Thank you for coming. I'll call you in one by one and you'll have 5 minutes to play a few songs we select for you. We'll choose a guitarist by the end of the week so if you do not hear back from us by 5pm on Friday that means that you did not make it. Lee Felix you're first" With that, Doyoung returns to the room again, a tall blonde following him. The door closes behind them.

Jaehyun takes his guitar out, smirking at the appreciative whistles and glances it gets. He ensures his cord is within reach, before leaning his head back against the wall, closing his eyes as he awaits his turn.

The blue-haired girl gets called third and comes out with a confident smirk on her face. Jaehyun sits through three more auditions before Doyoung finally calls him in.

Jaehyun gets up, takes off his denim jacket, puts on his snap back and enters the room with his guitar and cord wrapped around his arm.

The members of NeoCity are all sitting behind a long table, sheets of paper in front of them with Doyoung in the center.

Although Jaehyun was friends with all of them he still bowed respectfully.

"Hello, my name is Jung Jaehyun and I'm auditioning for the position of your new guitarist" he says formally, and when Doyoung merely nods, he moves to the socket near the table and plugs in his cord, already connected to his guitar.

Jaehyun takes out his guitar pick and makes sure the guitar is correctly tuned.

"Are you ready or do you need more time" he hears Doyoung drawl lazily. Jaehyun looks up, hiding his smile as he catches how Doyoung runs his eyes over his exposed arms and low slung wife-beater.

"Ready" he says and Doyoung picks up a page before calling the first song he has to play the chords to.

Each song is for less than 30 seconds, and Jaehyun could play them all with his eyes closed, but Doyoung would not appreciate any showing off that looks lazy so Jaehyun plays hard, putting his whole self into it.

"Play the opening riff to 'Death By Chocolate'" Doyoung says after Jaehyun plays a Green Day song, and the younger man pauses.

'Death By Chocolate' was an original song written and composed by Jaehyun which won them the BoTB last year. Jaehyun watches the way the NeoCity members look at their leader in confusion: this song was not on the list.

But Doyoung only kept his gaze on Jaehyun, a challenge in his beautiful eyes.

He didn’t know if this was some test to see if Jaehyun would protest playing a song by his old band to his prospective new one to show he wasn't loyal to them anymore, even if it was just playing a single song.

Jaehyun sets his jaw, nods, and starts playing the song.

Doyoung raises a brow but says nothing.

"Thank you" the older man says after Jaehyun stops, sounding dismissive as he looks down at his pages. Jaehyun gives a quick bow, unplugs his chord, and leaves.

The auditions end after 3pm and after a long discussion between the band, they narrow down the contenders to two: Jaehyun and Kang Seulgi.

Both of them played brilliantly and have all the characteristics and experience to help elevate the band, but it was hard choosing between them.

Johnny and Taeil wanted Jaehyun, while Doyoung and Yuta were torn between Seulgi and Jaehyun.

"We could just choose both of them and have three guitarists" Johnny suggests, but after one look at Yuta, "Nevermind"

After much debate the band decides that instead of just choosing someone today, they'd call the two guitarists back in on Thursday and they could audition a second time.

They clean up their space and leave to have lunch together.

"Want to tell me what that was about during Jaehyun's audition?" Johnny asks Doyoung as they walk down the stairs, while Taeil and Yuta took the elevator.

"I was testing him" Doyoung says simply and when Johnny gives him a dry look, he grins, "I don’t want someone who loses their identity and what shaped them as a artist. As much as I dislike The Foreign Swaggers, I respect everything Jaehyun did in the group. If he didn’t play DBC, I would have seen it as him not remaining true to himself in order to please us. I would have not chosen him for NeoCity"

Johnny nods, and slings his arm around Doyoung as they exit the building. The four men head to the student mall.

-

It's Tuesday so Jaehyun's roommate, Jun, is working late. Jaehyun always has the apartment to himself, which the guitarist takes advantage of.

Music is playing throughout the apartment, and Jaehyun was cooking barefoot in an oversized jersey and sweatpants. 

There's a bottle of white wine in the fridge and he sets the table.

The familiar sound of the door knock at 7pm pulls Jaehyun away from dishing up the fried rice.

Jaehyun opens the door with a smile.

"Hi darling" Jaehyun says and with a bland look Doyoung walks past him into the apartment.

"Is my-"

"White wine in the fridge? Yes it is" Jaehyun interrupts and Doyoung sniffs, but since he can't complain, he walks in ahead on Jaehyun.

Jaehyun pulls out his chair and Doyoung sits down, who starts dishing for them. He puts a single teaspoon of kimbap on Jaehyun's plate just as he likes, and they drink their wine.

It was Tuesday, so after dinner they watch one of their favorite cheesy romcom films, Doyoung cuddled into Jaehyun's side.

"We have really weird sex" Jaehyun says a few hours later, sweaty and slightly out of breath.

"What do you mean?" Doyoung asks, ready to be offended, and Jaehyun laughs, kissing Doyoung on the side of his head.

"Just that you never let me get away with calling you terms of endearment anywhere except in bed. And you like it, don’t even deny it" Jaehyun adds quickly when Doyoung opens his mouth.

Doyoung stays quiet, and Jaehyun's smile widens.

"You know you're my sweetheart" he murmurs in a deep, raspy voice and expects the punch on the shoulder. He pulls Doyoung closer to him, grateful as always when the older man melts against him.

"You passed the audition, by the way" Doyoung says suddenly, and Jaehyun only has a few seconds to feel satisfied when Doyoung adds, "But Seulgi also passed, so you'll have to play again"

"Who's that?" Jaehyun asks, miffed that he even had slight competition.

"The blue-haired girl you were flirting with" Doyoung says dryly. Jaehyun winces, about to defend himself, when Doyoung touches his finger to Jaehyun's lips.

"Shh, don’t make it worse for yourself" Doyoung says softly and smiles when Jaehyun kisses his finger. He leans in and kisses the younger man.

"I'll just have to beat Seulgi then" Jaehyun says as Doyoung straddles him.

"No talking about another girl" Doyoung says, wrapping his fingers around Jaehyun's dick, making the younger man groan.

"Did you vote for Seulgi because she's talented or to make my life difficult?" Jaehyun asks, and Doyoung lifts his head from the younger man's chest to give him a scathing look. When he sees that Jaehyun is serious, Doyoung felt a surge of indignation go through him.

"As much as you might think so, my life does -not- resolve around you, Jung" Doyoung says, straightening up and moving so that his body wasn’t touching Jaehyun.

"That's not what I-" but Jaehyun doesn’t finish as Doyoung raises his hand, silencing the younger man.

"We fuck occasionally and that's all" Doyoung says, eyes blazing and Jaehyun feels a twinge in his chest but says nothing, "While I might like being crass towards you, I would not play with another person's feelings just to fuck with you. Seulgi is damn good and deserves another chance to prove herself"

There's an ugly pause as Doyoung sits stiffly while Jaehyun, flushed and slightly ashamed, thinks of something to say.

"I'm sorry" Jaehyun softly says after a while, and when Doyoung looks at him again, he rests his hand over the older man's, "I'm sorry. That was dumb of me to say. I should have known better. That was my ego talking"

"Yes it was" Doyoung says, but when it doesn’t look like he's about to leave, Jaehyun gently pulls Doyoung against him again. He kisses his brow.

"Just forget what I said okay?" Jaehyun murmurs, "I'll play my fingers off on Thursday and beat Seulgi"

"We'll see" Doyoung says, resting his arms around Jaehyun's waist again.

The younger man releases a silent breath.

-

"Are you staying for breakfast?" Jaehyun asks casually as he washes Doyoung's back, occasionally sneaking glances at the older man's ass.

Doyoung shrugs and Jaehyun leans in, kissing his way up Doyoung's neck, before nibbling on his earlobe.

"Please?" Jaehyun murmurs, feeling how Doyoung shivers slightly, "I'll make you that omelette you like so much"

"I'll stay to say hi to Jun" Doyoung says, trying to sound unaffected, and after a light slap on his ass, Jaehyun turns Doyoung around to kiss him.

"Thank you, darling" Jaehyun murmurs, yelping when he feels his nipple get pinched.

"Hyung!" Jun says excitedly as he comes into the kitchen, bare-chested and sleepy-eyed. The Chinese man works at a bar on campus and usually gets the late shifts.

"Junnie" Doyoung says with a warm smile on his face. The two men met for the first time when Doyoung and Jaehyun started sleeping together, and immediately hit it off. Jaehyun would be jealous of their friendship if he didn’t like Jun so much. They became roommates in their second year, and have lived together ever since.

It was great living with someone who also studied music and enjoyed cooking.

Jun takes a seat next to Doyoung at the breakfast table, and pretends to swat Doyoung's hand away when the older man affectionately pats his head.

"Are you staying for breakfast, Jun?" Jaehyun asks, flipping the omelette in the pan.

"No, I have a breakfast date, but thanks" Jun replies with a grin. He stays long enough to drink some coffee and for Doyoung to kiss him on the cheek, before returning to his room for a shower.

Jaehyun and Doyoung have their breakfast, their Usher playlist playing softly.

They do the dishes together before Doyoung leaves. He tutors in the music department and has a 10am class.

At the front door Jaehyun kisses Doyoung on the back of his hand.

"Bye, darling" Jaehyun says, and Doyoung gives the slightest smile.

"Bye Jung" he replies, "See you tomorrow. Don’t be late".

Doyoung gives a wink before leaving.

Jaehyun watches his ass as he walks down the hallway towards the elevator banks.

-

Jaehyun has class for the rest of the day. His final year of his undergraduate in sound design has been busy since day one, and Jaehyun just wants to go to his classes, study hard and pass with a good mark in order to qualify for his postgraduate degree.

His final class ends at 4pm and Jaehyun goes grocery shopping before returning home. Jun and a few of his friends are over when Jaehyun gets to the apartment.

Jaehyun shares a fist bump with Minghao and Wonwoo, and playfully kisses Seungkwan on the cheek. He eats dinner with them and watches some TV, before returning to his room.

After a quick shower, Jaehyun finishes an assignment due on Friday. It's past midnight when he finally gets to bed.

He settles under his covers, his eyes closed. Jaehyun is about to fall asleep when his phone pings.

He groans as he reluctantly picks it up.

It's a message from Thomas.

'TFS has a gig tomorrow night. Play, and I'll put you back in the band'

Jaehyun snorts and puts his phone back down, not even bothering to reply.

The following morning he sees another message from Thomas.

'I don’t know what game you think you're playing but that was a one-time offer, Jung. Take it or leave it'

Jaehyun should ignore it too, but his fingers are already typing.

'I'm the one who left in case you forgot. And don't worry, I'll be playing guitar again, sooner than you think'.

He puts his phone on silent. 

Jaehyun has his guitar plugged in and he's strumming softly to himself when Seulgi comes in. She's in all black, her blue hair pushed out of her face, and her lipstick as dark as her eyeliner.

Seulgi greets the rest of the band sitting behind the table again, shaking Doyoung's hand, before making her way to Jaehyun.

"Hey" she says, her voice surprisingly warm and kind, completely contrasting her external appearance. She takes out her guitar, a beauty that Jaehyun wants to marry.

"That's one sexy lady" Jaehyun says after bowing his head in greeting and Seulgi smiles prettily.

"Thanks. Lola is still new, but she's amazing to play" she replies and Jaehyun smiles, dimples flashing.

Seulgi glanches over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow, "Why is Kim Doyoung looking at me with a little murder in his eyes?"

Jaehyun startles but doesn't turn around, "He is?"

"Yes" she says, sounding amused, "You two dating?"

Jaehyun snorts, "No. He's out of my league"

"Somehow I don't believe that" Seulgi says dryly, making Jaehyun blush, before Doyoung clears his throat.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Doyoung says and Seulgi looks like she's about to say something that will definitely cost Jaehyun sex for a month, so Jaehyun steps in quickly.

"No, nothing. I'm ready if you are" Jaehyun says. Doyoung gives him a cool look but nods after a few seconds.

"We're ready" with that, he makes his way to the table, sitting in the center.

"Definitely not out of your league" he hears Seulgi say softly.

Jaehyun tries not to smile.

"You'll both be taking turns to play the same song that we give you. Jaehyun you're first" Johnny says, and both guitarists nods, faces set, all business now.

Twenty minutes into the final audition and both guitarists are slightly sweaty, Jaehyun on his second pick since his first one chipped. His white tshirt was sticking to his chest, and Seulgi’s hair has come loose. She took off her black jumper after the 5th song, revealing a halter top below it.

With their guitars they make quite a sight.

After a sweet shred on 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Doyoung calls for a break.

While Seulgi drinks some water and Jaehyun is laughing at something Taeil said, Johnny turns to Doyoung.

"So" he starts and Doyoung sighs, "You didn't come home last night".

"I'm aware of that" Doyoung snips in a light voice and Johnny grins.

"Wasn’t last night your weekly date with Jaehyun?" Johnny asks innocently and Doyoung can’t hide the light blush on his cheek, "Did you take the kimbap?".

Doyoung ignores him in favour of shuffling his pages around.

"When are you going to let Jaehyun finally take you out on a proper date?" Johnny asks and Doyoung snorts.

"Who says I want to go on a date with him?" Doyoung asks and Johnny doesn’t even bother calling him out on the lie. He simply informs Jaehyun and Seulgi that the break was over.

-

"We've come to a decision on who'll be our new guitarist" Doyoung says.

Seulgi and Jaehyun both straighten up, their eyes only on the leader.

Doyoung smiles.

"Congratulations to Jaehyun" he says, and the rest of NeoCity claps, big smiles on their faces. Jaehyun smiles equally as widely, chuffed and relieved. He shakes hands with Seulgi, who takes her loss with grace.

After she leaves, Jaehyun hugs all his new band members, laughing as Johnny picks him up for a bear hug.

"Good job" Doyoung says briskly, but he can’t keep the warmth out of his voice. Jaehyun's grin softens and he pulls the leader towards him, hugging him.

"Hey, we're in a professional environment" Doyoung reprimands, but Jaehyun ignores him, leaning back to kiss him on the lips.

"I won’t let you down, sweetheart" Jaehyun says softly, and Doyoung sighs as if giving up.

"You better not" the older man says, kissing Jaehyun once, before pushing away, "Practice is tomorrow".

"Let's go have some celebratory drinks" Yuta says enthusiastically, and everyone agrees with a loud cheer.

-

They arrive at a popular bar off campus where students hang out. It's also where Jun works, so when Jaehyun and Doyoung arrive they go and greet him behind the bar.

They get a table and order their drinks, Doyoung nodding along to the music playing.

He suddenly feels a tap on his shoulder and looks over to see Jeno standing there, a smile on his face. Delighted, Doyoung gets up and hugs the younger man.

"Jeno! Where have you been?" Doyoung asks, fussing as he straightened the younger man's collar and tried to tame his hair. Jeno allows it.

"Sorry, hyung. I've been buried under dance practices and assignments. Second year has been crazy" Jeno says, and when Mark, Hyuck, Jaemin, Renjun, Chenle and Jisung arrives, they move a second table closer to let the kids sit with them.

Dreamies is another band on campus, who blends instruments with rapping and vocals. They've gotten popular since they debuted last year, and made the top 4 last year of BoTB. They could win it all one day.

NeoCity has taken them under their wing, helping them improve and become a better band. Jeno, the bassist, has stolen Doyoung's heart, and was the little brother Doyoung wish he had.

Chenle sits next to Jaehyun, who has become like a mentor to the Chinese boy, and they giggle over something Jaehyun shows him on his phone. Doyoung watches them with a slight smile on his face.

They order another round and get food. The Dreamies were here to perform onstage. Every Thursday was an open mic night for artists to perform at the bar, and tonight the kids were on. NeoCity has performed here numerous time, and always have a good time.

When it hits 10pm, the hyungs all clap and cheer when Dreamies go onstage.

Taeyong, Jungwoo and the members of WayV show up halfway through Dreamies' performance. Brothers Renjun and Chenle both play the piano in the band, and they always dazzle with their twin act, the piano beautiful and crystal against the electric guitar and hard rapping.

Taeyong sits between Jaehyun and Johnny, kissing the taller man, while Xuxi and Jungwoo gets drinks for new arrivals.

"I hear congratulations are in order" Ten says, and Jaehyun grins, fist bumping with the older man, "Didn't think Doyoung would take you".

Everyone laughs while Doyoung rolls his eyes, flicking a pretzel at Ten's head.

They all clap loudly, hooting when Dreamies end their set.

Jaehyun rests his hand on Doyoung's thigh as he drinks his beer and talks in English to Hendery and YangYang. Doyoung looks at where his hand is touching him, and back up at the relaxed and happy face of the younger man. If Jaehyun wasn't routinely rubbing his hand up and down Doyoung's thigh, Jaehyun would think he's doing it absentmindedly.

He doesn’t remove Jaehyun's hand, and instead allows Xuxi to distract him with a story.

"We're playing on Saturday at The Black Tavern, everyone is invited to come" Kun says, handing out fliers to the group and moving to the rest of bar.

Doyoung has a little too much to drink, so he's a little lighter and less guarded as he hoots when a song he likes comes on, pulling Jaehyun onto the dancefloor with him. There's a few wolf-whistles from the group which they both ignore.

"What are you doing?" Jaehyun asks, a surprised but pleased expression on his face, not stopping Doyoung when he pulls their bodies close to each other, Doyoung's hands around his neck.

"It's just dancing, Jung. Relax" Doyoung drawls, "Now put your hands on me"

They automatically move together, their hips in sync, chest to chest. Their eyes were on one another, hot and hungry.

"Come over tonight?" Jaehyun asks desperately and Doyoung raises an eyebrow.

"We'll see" Doyoung replies and Jaehyun smiles brightly. Doyoung rolls his eyes at him.

Blue hair suddenly comes to mind, and Doyoung feels his stomach tightens. 

"Do you like Seulgi?" Doyoug suddenly asks, and Jaehyun pauses in surprise.

"What? Where did that come from?" Jaehyun asks, sounding bewildered, and Doyoung huffs.

"I saw how you were with her today. It's a simple question that requires a yes or no answer" Doyoung says. Anger flares on Jaehyun's face.

"If that's what you think about me, then I don’t want you coming over tonight" Jaehyun says in a hard voice, releasing the gentle hold he had on Doyoung.

The older man looks at him in shock. Jaehyun has never spoken to him in that tone.

"I hadn't said I was" Doyoung replies, unable to think of anything else to say, and Jaehyun's expression is stony.

"I might just be a convenient fuck for you, but I wouldn't disrespect you like that" Jaehyun says, and with that, he returns to the table. Taeyong says something to him, but the younger man doesn't reply.

Feeling like he might have stuck his foot in his mouth, Doyoung goes to the bar to have a minute to himself.

Jun gives him one look and pour him a double whiskey.

-

Jaehyun stays quiet for the rest of the night, not looking in Doyoung's direction.

The younger man feels even more hurt when Doyoung sits next to Yuta, and not where he originally sat, which was by Jaehyun.

He doesn't follow any of the conversations going on around him, just drinking his beer and avoiding the worried glances thrown in his direction from his friends because of how quiet he was being.

When Kun and Ten gets up around 11pm to leave, Jaehyun leaves with them. He gives everyone a small smile, eyes sliding over Doyoung.

He needs time to himself before he faces the older man at practice the following day.

"Why does Jaehyun look like his dog just died? Did something happen between you two?" Johnny asks softly, obviously concerned.

Doyoung watches Jaehyun as he leaves, that ugly jolt still in his stomach from a few seconds ago when Jaehyun didn’t look at him before leaving the table.

Doyoung sighs and quietly told Johnny what happened on the dance floor. 

"You know, for someone so smart and perceptive, you are awfully slow and stubborn when it comes to Jaehyun" Johnny muses. Offended, Doyoung opens his mouth to defend himself, when Johnny shushed him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Doyoung, you know you messed up" Johnny says bluntly, and Doyoung wants to- something, he wants to do something. But he just feels like shit, "Just talk to him. You've underestimate your power over him and his feelings for you for way too long"

Doyoung feels that jolt in his stomach. He realizes, as Johnny turns back to Taeyong, that it's fear.

The feeling has been there since he and Jaehyun started sleeping together. Everytime Jaehyun looks at him with that warm, soft look on his face. Everytime he calls him "darling" and "sweetheart" and he isn’t being sarcastic. Everytime they're suppose to fuck and Jaehyun instead makes love to him.

Everytime that happens, he gets that jolt in his stomach.

It is fear. It's fear that he'll lose Jaehyun because he's not ready to give the younger man what he wants in this thing between them.

But now he might have actually lost him.

Fuck.

-

Doyoung downs his third shot of straight vodka and his head is swimming by the time he stands and puts on his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Johnny asks. Everyone has left the bar except Doyoung, Johnny, Taeil and Taeyong. The latter two were on the dancefloor, attracting the attention of patrons at the bar.

"I'm gonna go-" Doyoung hiccups, fumbling for his phone to call a taxi, "Gonna go to Jaehyun"

"Do you think that's a good idea, Dons?" Johnny asks, and Doyoung sighs.

"I don’t know, hyung. But I hate the feeling of knowing that I hurt him" Doyoung says, and Johnny looks doubtful, so the shorter man adds, "It'll be fine. I just want to talk"

Doyoung needed them to be okay again. It didn't feel right for Jaehyun to be mad at him. He messed up earlier. Doyoung knew he was being irrational, but the jealousy burning in his stomach since seeing Jaehyun and Seulgi talk wouldn’t go away, and he's never been good at hiding his feelings.

"Okay" Johnny says, patting Doyoung's hand, "Good luck" 

He waves at Taeil and Taeyong and leaves the bar, ordering his taxi.

-

The doorbell rings around 1am while Jaehyun was on his third episode of America's Next Top Model. Eating a bowl of ice cream didn't make him feel better so he was hoping some mindless reality tv might distract him from the ache in his chest. It wasn't working.

He frowns, putting the TV on pause, before going to open the door.

Jaehyun blinks when he finds Doyoung standing there.

The two men stare at each other for a few seconds, before Doyoung clears his throat.

"Hi" Doyoung says eventually.

"Hey" Jaehyun replies.

Doyoung was obviously waiting for Jaehyun to move so that he could come inside, but when Jaehyun remains in the doorway, unmoving, the older man panics slightly, saying the first thing that comes to his mind.

"I don’t want things to be weird between us" the older man says, and Jaehyun merely raises an eyebrow, "What I said earlier... I could have said it in a better way. I'm- I don’t know if I'm sorry or not. But it was a simple question that you didn’t answer"

"Didn’t think I needed to, Doyoung" Jaehyun says, and Doyoung blinks at his bland tone.

"Uhm, then you don’t have to. I suppose you don’t owe it to me since we're not a couple. You're allowed to flirt or not flirt with whoever you want" Doyoung says, "But we're bandmates now, so I hope we're fine?"

Jaehyun just looks at him for a few seconds, before he gives a single nod.

The silence between them was suffocating.

Doyoung was sobering up really fast.

"Was that all?" Jaehyun eventually asks.

"Yes, I guess so" Doyoung says, hands in his pockets to prevent himself from reaching for the taller man. He wanted to touch and kiss him, and forget that he even asked about Seulgi. Jaehyun's blank expression was hurting him more than it should.

"Alright. I'll see you later then" Jaehyun says, and closes the door in Doyoung's face.

Doyoung stares at the closed door.

He wants to leave. He wants pound on the door, and demand that Jaehyun let him in. He wants to cry for some dumb reason. He feels worse than he did at the club, like he truly messed up.

He came here to make things better, and instead Jaehyun couldn’t even talk to him.

Doyoung turns and slides down the door. He sits with his head leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

"Fucking fuck" he says softly. If someone saw him sitting here they'd call the supervisor to kick him out of the building. That would really end his night with a bang.

This was suppose to be casual. Why was Doyoung so fucking hurt?

Doyoung is debating whether to knock again and do something to make Jaehyun like him again, when the door suddenly opens and Doyoung yelps as he suddenly falls backwards.

"Oh!" Jaehyun says in surprise, helping Doyoung up from where he's laying across the threshold, "What are you doing?"

"Uhm" Doyoung says mindlessly, "Resting?"

"Okay?" Jaehyun says slowly, not releasing his hold on Doyoung, "Why haven't you left? I said we were fine"

The lie was clear in his voice.

"We're not fine" Doyoung says, hearing the hitch in his voice. Jaehyun's face softens, and he gently pulls Doyoung into the apartment.

"I don't mean to make you feel bad, hyung" Jaehyun says as they sit across each other on the couch, "I've been expecting too much from this thing between us, I know. And I was not flirting with Seulgi"

"I know you weren't" Doyoung says and at Jaehyun's surprised expression, adds, "I shouldn't have been so jealous. I know it's me that's preventing us from moving any further. I just... I can’t do a relationship right now. You know I need to focus on me. But I can’t stand the idea of you flirting with someone else, so I don't know where we go from here."

Jaehyun visibly swallows and nods.

The younger man takes a deep breath, "I can’t just be your convenient fuck anymore"

Doyoung stares at him, his heart feeling like someone is squeezing it hard, "So we're over?"

Jaehyun gives a bland smile, "I guess so. Or rather, our arrangement is over"

Doyoung feelings his eyes brim with tears.

"Okay" he says, "I'll go"

"I still want us to be friends, Doie" Jaehyun says, standing up with Doyoung, "I value you in my life. And... and when you're ready for more, I'm here"

Doyoung gives a watery smile. He presses a soft kiss against Jaehyun's cheek.

"See you at practice"

"See you"

Doyoung waits until he's in the Uber before he lets the tears fall.

-

"Shit" Jaehyun says, lying on the couch, arms thrown over his face, "Shit!"

-

Doyoung opens his apartment door and goes straight to Johnny's room, where he knocks on the door until Taeyong opens it, looking groggy.

"Doyoungie? What's wrong?" Taeyong asks, but when he sees the expression on Doyoung's face, he gives a sigh before opening his arms.

Doyoung sniffle and hugs the smaller man, burying his head in the crook of Taeyong's neck.

"What's going on?" Johnny asks in a deep, sleepy voice. Doyoung lifts his head to look at his best friend, and like Taeyong, Johnny immediately sees the sadness and heartbreak.

"The talk didn’t go well?" When Doyoung shakes his head, Johnny pats the bed. Taeyong leads Doyoung over, and gets his shoes and jacket off.

A minute later, Doyoung is lying between his best friends, head on Taeyong's bony shoulder while Johnny runs a comforting hand down the younger man’s back.

Jaehyun wakes up for his 9am lecture and spends 10 minutes in bed trying to convince himself not to quit NeoCity, in order to avoid Doyoung.

They were going to be friends, damn it. Even if it killed him. Even if he wanted nothing more than to keep Doyoung in his bed and arms.

But Jaehyun deserves better. He deserves more. And if he has to wait, he will.

Even if it fucking kills him.

With a groan, Jaehyun gets up.

-

'Are you okay?'

Jaehyun smiles at the message from Johnny. He loves his friends, he honestly does.

'Feeling a little down but I'll be fine, hyung' Jaehyun replies, before putting his phone on silent. He refocuses on his lecturer.

-

After his last class, Jaehyun goes home to fetch his guitar, and returns to the music department.

Taking a deep, calming breath he opens the door to the practice room.

Johnny is already sitting behind the drums, tuning his kit, while Yuta is in the corner, talking on the phone with a smile on his face. He was obviously talking to WinWin.

Taeil saw him first and greeted him with a smile, one which Jaehyun returns.

Doyoung walks into the room soon after Jaehyun arrives, looking beautiful in a pair of tight jeans and a black Henley, his hair pushed back and a stack of paper in his hands.

Jaehyun feels his heart clench and beat faster at the same time.

They look at each other for a few seconds, so similar to last night. Jaehyun swallows and gives Doyoung a small smile. The older man seems to visibly deflate and returns it with his own, cautious but genuine.

They could do friends.

"Are you ready for your first rehearsal?" Doyoung asks softly, and Jaehyun nods.

It was October, nearly November, and since BoTB was only in June next year, NeoCity were preparing for the Christmas Bash.

It was held the Friday before Christmas break, and was a fun event where the City Hall near campus was booked out. Anyone could buy tickets to attend, and there would be great food and wine for sale. There was also entertainment, which usually included 3-4 bands performing onstage. NeoCity has performed at the Bash 3 years in a row.

This year, the band was performing two songs: 'Outer Space/Carry On' by 5SOS and Doyoung's own original song, 'Radio Romance'.

Jaehyun was given the musical sheets and once composition, line distribution and instrumental play was sorted out, they practiced.

Jaehyun hasn't played guitar with a band in over 5 months, so he had to get used to waiting to get counted in, and making sure he was in tune to everyone else's rhythm.

He's missed it so much.

It was also fun seeing how NeoCity worked together, and how Doyoung led everyone with his usual bossiness and efficiency. Jaehyun was relieved that once they were in the mindset of being band members, Doyoung didn’t treat him any different. They were being professional, and their personal life wouldn’t interfere with Doyoung having a perfect performance.

Today was just a run through on how the songs would sound, so practice was only for an hour. After practice Jaehyun stayed behind to fix a loosened string on his guitar. The sound of someone approaching him made him look up.

It was Johnny with a smile on his face. He handed Jaehyun a bottle of iced tea, which the younger man took with a "Thanks, hyung"

Johnny drank his tea silently, allowing Jaehyun to tend to his guitar.

Once he's done, the two men finish their drinks, before leaving the rehearsal room.

"You good?" Johnny asks in English. Jaehyun smiles and gives a nod.

"I'm good" Jaehyun says honestly, and Johnny pats his shoulder.

Jaehyun and Johnny have lunch at the student mall, both buying cheese burgers and fries.

They sit at one of the open benches, and silently spices and sauce up their fries for a few seconds.

"So" Jaehyun starts eventually, putting the empty ketchup sachets back in the takeaway bag, "How was Doyoung this morning?"

"This morning?" Johnny asks, and Jaehyun nods once, "He was fine. He made Taeyong and I some breakfast"

Jaehyun feels relieve for a few seconds before Johnny goes on, busy cutting his burger in half.

"Last night, however, he was a mess" Jaehyun's eyes widen, "He came to my room after returning from your place, eyes red from crying, and slept with us"

Johnny's blunt, manner of fact tone made Jaehyun feel worse. He puts down his own burger, suddenly not hungry anymore.

Johnny's face softens when he sees the expression on the younger man's face.

"I think he just needed to deal with these feelings that he didn't allow himself to feel for over a year, Jae. He's fine" the taller man says gently, patting Jaehyun's hand, "He wasn’t putting on a front today"

The clench in Jaehyun's heart lessens.

"Okay, I'm glad to hear that" he says, and Johnny gives him a smile.

"Eat your burger" Johnny says, and Jaehyun grins, doing as he's told.

-

'You did well today' the text from Doyoung says, and Jaehyun smiles at his phone.

Jaehyun just got home from campus, and he lays on his bed.

'Thanks, hyung'

-

It's weeks of rehearsals, classes, trying to make deadlines and no sleep.

Jaehyun is glad he didn’t take a part-time job, because he would not have survived that.

The band sounds amazing- everyone is doing their job perfectly, and the last few hiccups have been smoothed out.

Doyoung and Jaehyun have never been better.

Taking sex out of the equation has added an extra dimension of comfortability that Jaehyun can’t describe. Doyoung has dropped his usual crass, snarky attitude and those wide, gummy smiles have become more frequent and easy. They've started having lunches together, play soccer and swim at the gym pool. They've marathoned all the Marvel and Star Wars films, and they have inside jokes.

Jaehyun has never felt closer to Doyoung.

Previously, it was all a lustful crush.

Now. Well, now he knew what jokes made Doyoung laugh so hard, he needed a second to breathe. He knew how Doyoung could mouth along to every line in the Iron Man films. He knew that Doyoung pretended to complain about hating sports, but would do anything to win. He knew how Doyoung always threw salt over his shoulder whenever he used it.

He knew all these knew things, and it made him fall for Doyoung.

Shit.

By the time it was the day before the Christmas Bash, Jaehyun was excited to go home. He needed time to breathe and to think.

He needed time away from Doyoung. He needed the distance to train his heart not to get heartbroken because he might never get Doyoung.

-

The morning of the Christmas Bash, the band all have breakfast together at Doyoung's apartment. And since Johnny would be there Taeyong was invited, who invited Jungwoo, who invited Xuxi, who invited Kun, who invited the rest of WayV, who invited Dreamies.

Needless to say, Doyoung had not made enough rice porridge.

With so many more people at breakfast than Doyoung bargained for, he has no choice but to go do some emergency grocery shopping. He collects 500 won from everyone, and when asking for volunteers to go with him, feels a jolt in his stomach when Jaehyun lifts his hand.

They listen to music while Doyoung drives, Jaehyun's fingers tapping on the dashboard while they both sang along to some early 2000's RnB.

Doyoung has gotten used to them being friends, and not having to be on his guard around the younger guard. When sex was involved, Doyoung had to work hard to keep his feelings out of it. But now that he and Jaehyun knew more about each other, there was an easiness between them that pleased Doyoung.

He ignores the fact that his traitorous heart beats a little faster everytime he sees Jaehyun, and that he likes watching his fingers when he works that guitar.

They were friends. Good friends, and he wouldn’t ruin that.

They buy more eggs, milk, cheese, ramyeon and sausage, before leaving the grocer to return to the army.

Doyoung and Jaehyun unpack the groceries, and with Kun and Jaemin's help, they make a monster breakfast. Johnny borrows his neighbour's coffee machine to make sure everyone gets a cup, and they get permission from the supervisor to bring some tables down to the courtyard and have their breakfast there.

They mostly get permission because the supervisor has a soft spot for Taeyong, and all he had to do was bat his wide, pretty eyes and he suckered the supervisor in.

Everyone carries a dish or a chair downstairs, and when they finally get to eat, it is Doyoung that dishes for all 21 of them.

Light music played and besides Renjun and Haechan attempting to give Doyoung high-blood pressure, it was a great breakfast.

The kids do the dishes while WayV leaves: the Chinese group along with NeoCity and TFS were performing at the Bash tonight, and they were given the stage first to do soundcheck. TFS was next, around midday. NeoCity were last, so they only had to be at City Hall at 3pm.

Doyoung took Jaehyun to his bedroom to show a music sheet he composed with a possible change to the younger man’s guitar solo in OS/CO, so they were alone again.

Jaehyun is sitting on his bed, and Doyoung can’t help but get flashbacks to what they used to do on it. He flushes and clears his throat as he hands the sheet over.

Jaehyun looks over it, unconsciously moving his fingers as if imagining how the guitar would sound.

Doyoung loves it when he does that.

"Are you ready for tonight?" He asks, sitting on his desk chair across from Jaehyun. He didn’t want to risk anything by sitting next to Jaehyun.

Jaehyun looks up at him, and dimples. He dyed his hair a light blonde, almost white a week ago, and Doyoung loved it.

"I am. I've missed the anticipation of performance" the younger man says, "You guys have looked after me well"

Doyoung blushes, "I'm glad"

The two men both look away shyly, and Doyoung is almost relieved when Johnny calls him to the lounge.

-

At 2:30pm, NeoCity arrives at the City Hall. They go in Johnny's truck, so that all their equipment could fit in the back.

The Hall is festive, with different stalls busy being set up and the decorations have been hung up.

The band walks in just as TFS is finishing up a song. Lisa was shredding hard while Thomas did a high note, on his knees.

Doyoung rolls his eyes at the theatrics, grudgingly impressed, as always, by how amazing the leader sings. He may hate Thomas' guts, but Doyoung didn’t sniff on talent.

He sets his face into a mask of indifference as the band starts packing up.

Thomas is the first one to reach him. He's wearing that obnoxious scarf he always puts on when he's singing. To keep his vocal cords warm.

Whatever.

The tall blonde has a pleasant smile on his face, but his eyes were glacial as he sees Jaehyun standing with NeoCity. Doyoung smirks.

Park Thomas has never been good at sharing.

"Dongyoung" Thomas says, passing him without pausing. He doesn’t look at Jaehyun again.

"Thomas" Doyoung drawls in a dry voice, keeping a smile on his face as the rest of the band passes them. Lisa pauses briefly, opening her mouth, before closing it. Before anyone in TFS could notice, she puts a note in Jaehyun's hand.

She gives him a small smile, and rushes after her band.

Jaehyun watches them walk again, hand fisted around the note.

Doyoung watches Jaehyun. The younger man looks torn as he finally looks down at the note. He seems unable to decide whether he wants to read it or not.

The two men make eye contact.

Doyoung finds himself not jealous or suspicious, but sad that Jaehyun seems to have lost friends from TFS.

He nods, and Jaehyun seems relieved.

"Please give me a moment" he says before walking to the side, opening the note.

"Come on, guys. Let's go set up so long" Doyoung says. Johnny, Yuta and Taeil looks away from where Jaehyun's standing and follows their leader.

Jaehyun can hear people talk and laugh around him. He knows that the band is setting up.

But he couldn't really pay attention to that. He takes a breath, irrationally scared as he opens the note.

He smiles at the messy handwriting- Lalisa is a badass guitarist ninja goddess, but she has horrible penmanship.

'Hey, Peachy'

Jaehyun smiles at the nickname.

'I know we have not spoken in 5 months and that it's on both of us, but I miss you. I miss my twin soul. I don’t care if Tommy gets mad about it, but I want you back in my life. Please meet me at my place tomorrow night for dinner. I'll make that stir fry you love so much. 7pm, don’t be late'

Jaehyun is smiling widely by the end of it.

Out of everyone in TFS, he's always been closest to Lalisa. They bonded the first day they met, which was auditioning to be the guitarists in The Foreign Swaggers.

He loved his old band, but he and Lisa had so much in common that they become fast friends, and because they were the guitarists, they spent more time together.

When Jaehyun left TFS, Thomas out of pettiness forbid the rest of the band to ever talk to him again. It hurt to not talk to Lisa, BamBam, Mark T. and Jackson anymore. They had become his family.

But no one ever went against Thomas' word.

It warmed Jaehyun's heart that Lisa reached out to him.

He joined the rest of NeoCity. Doyoung looked at him with a question in his eyes.

Jaehyun gave him a small smile.

"I'm good, Doie" he says, and Doyoung nods.

"Let's get started then" the leader says.

After soundcheck the band pack up their instruments, happy with how they sound.

Johnny, Yuta and Taeil get distracted at the steam buns stall, trying to sweet talk an old lady into giving them tasters. Doyoung shakes his head at them.

He could feel Jaehyun's slight hesitation as they walk out of the Hall together, making sure all their stuff is in Johnny's truck.

Doyoung doesn’t have to wait long until Jaehyun talks.

"Lalisa's note" Jaehyun says as they sit on the steps, catching the late afternoon sunlight while drinking water.

Lalisa.

Doyoung remembers a time when he used to be so jealous of the relationship Jaehyun had with the Thai girl, even before the two men started sleeping together. He only realized after Jaehyun left TFS how much of a bond the two guitarists had, and that it went beyond friendship straight into blood relation. They loved one another like a brother and sister did- they bickered and bitched, but they'd protect each other from anything, and were one another's biggest fans.

"What about it?" Doyoung asks and is surprised when Jaehyun gives it to him. He opens it.

"God, she has horrible handwriting" Doyoung says and Jaehyun laughs out loud. Doyoung reads the letter.

"Are you going?" Doyoung asks, carefully folding it closed. Jaehyun shrugs.

"I don’t know. I want to, but we haven't really spoken in months" Jaehyun says, looking down at his hands, "There were so many hurt feelings after I left TFS, and I think I'm still smarting from the fact that Lisa just allowed Thomas to forbid her from talking to me again"

Jaehyun sighs, and Doyoung stays quiet.

"But, I love her. She's the closest thing I've ever had to a sibling, and I want to see her" the younger man says. Doyoung places his hand over Jaehyun, making the younger man look up at him.

They didn’t touch like this.

That old familiar twinge of jealousy was still there in Doyoung, but he knows that he needs to talk to Jaehyun as his friend, and not his former lover.

"Go" Doyoung says simply, and Jaehyun's eyes brim with emotion.

"Would you come with me?" Jaehyun asks, and when Doyoung only looks at him with surpriese, he adds, "I want you to be there. You've become my best friend, Doyoung. You know what you mean to me. I want you to get to know my sister better"

Doyoung can’t help but smile.

He couldn’t turn that down.

-

The Christmas Ball started at 6pm, and NeoCity were performing at 8:30pm, so the group had time to walk around and hang out with their friends until they went onstage.

Taeyong and Jungwoo joined them at the Bash, and with WayV, they all walked around, browsing the stalls and buying some things here and there. Doyoung and Jaehyun walked next to each other, not necessarily talking, but their shoulders were always brushing, and they shared the occasional smile.

Doyoung had accepted his offer of joining him and Lalisa for dinner the following night, and since then they've been... not weird, but there seems to be an extra zing between them that hasn’t been felt since before they 'broke' up.

It felt good, as if their friendship and relationship was moving in the right direction.

Jaehyun buys a large slice of pizza which he and Jungwoo share between them, before they go to the center stage where WayV performed. Everyone loved YangYang's solo violin, and the girls sent wild when Xuxi took off his shirt in the middle of the performance, before going hard on the drums. When the Chinese group finished their act, the applause was loud and genuine.

Jungwoo and Xuxi disappear from the venue soon after WayV gets off, and Jaehyun smirks at them.

NeoCity go onstage next, Jaehyun taking off his leather jacket which leaves him in a loose Henley and his signature snap back.

They get loud cheers when the MC announces them.

"5,6,7,8" Doyoung softly counts them in, which signals the drums and guitars for "Outer Space/Carry On".

Jaehyun plays hard and he sings his heart out. It's one of his favorite songs, and for it to be the first song he plays onstage in 6 months, makes him so happy.

He also can't take his eyes off Doyoung. The band sounds amazing together, as expected, and Doyoung's passion and love for being onstage has always been one of Jaehyun's favourite things about him. He sings with unbridled passion, his eyes closed, and his head tilted up slightly, body bent over the mic stand as if he can’t get enough.

They make eye contact eventually, and Jaehyun gives him a smile and wink. Doyoung sticks his tongue out at him, before turning back to the crowd. Jaehyun felt like his heart was going to burst, he was that happy.

When the song ends, they get a roaring reaction from the crowd. They bask in it for a few seconds before they transition into the second song.

NeoCity ends their performance to an applause and loud cheers, especially from their friends.

Jaehyun is sweaty and out of breath, and the band bows, waving to the crowd before getting their instruments and themselves off the stage.

TFS were waiting on the side for them to finish, and when NeoCity passes them, both bands don’t bother acknowledging each other. They could pretend to be civilized other times but when it came to performance and competition, the gloves were off.

Lalisa was standing a little back, busy tuning Jojo. When Jaehyun passes her, she extends her hand, and he takes it briefly to squeeze it gently.

-

The band stays till the end of the Bash, eating their dinner there, and spending quite some time at the wine and soju stands. A few glasses of wine in, and Jaehyun watched with amusement as Doyoung started singing to himself, his eyes closed with a slight smile on his face

He was getting the attention of a few people around him, and Jaehyun couldn't blame them. Doyoung also shone when he sang, losing himself in his music and shining bright enough to draw everyone to him.

It was the first things Jaehyun ever liked about him.

When he gets to the end of the song, Jaehyun claps along with everyone else. Doyoung's eyes open as he startles at the attention. He blushes and smiles at everyone.

"We're NeoCity, thank you!" Yuta says to everyone still paying attention, and Taeil slaps him on the shoulder.

At the end of the Bash everyone splits up: Yuta and WinWin go to Yuta's apartment, while the rest of WayV and Johnny go to a bar to celebrate successful performances. Taeil, Jungwoo and Taeyong wanted to get some ice cream first before joining everyone else at the bar

Jaehyun and Doyoung were exhausted, so the older man drives Jaehyun home.

They sit in the car outside Jaehyun's apartment complex, a brief silence between then.

"Have you changed your mind about joining me and Lalisa for dinner tomorrow night" Jaehyun asks, and Doyoung shakes his head. Jaehyun looks relieved, and leans in to press a kiss on Doyoung's cheek.

"Thank you" he says softly, leaning back again.

Doyoung knows that he could lean in and kiss Jaehyun. He could get Jaehyun in his bed, and they could fuck like they've wanted to for nearly 2 months now.

But he wouldn't. They were getting closer and Doyoung didn’t want sex to ruin that.

He'd make his move when the time was right.

"Goodnight, Jaehyun" he says, smiling at the younger man.

“Goodnight, darling" Jaehyun drawls, and Doyoung rolls his eyes playfully, only leaving when Jaehyun entered his place.

-

Waking up the following morning, knowing that Christmas break has officially begun, and that he was seeing both Lalisa and Doyoung later on, put Jaehyun in a great mood.

He sings loudly in the shower, and gets dressed, before making himself and Johnny some breakfast.

Taeyong, as usual, slept over, and came to the kitchen with Johnny.

Taeil and Taeyong were actually roommates, but since Taeyong was never home, Taeil had the place all to himself. It certainly gave him more opportunities to comfortably bring over his dates.

The three men eat together, and Jaehyun shyly tells them about his plans for that night.

"Oh my God, Jae! I'm so happy for you" Taeyong says with a bright, genuine smile. Johnny looks a little more hesitant.

"You know I love Lalisa, but do you think it's a good idea? You know how Thomas is, and he'd rather throw her out of the group than forgive her for seeing you" Johnny says, and Jaehyun worries his bottom lip. He's been having the same thoughts, but tried not to think about it too hard.

"Yeah" Jaehyun says. He could cancel the dinner. Lisa would understand.

But no. He's sick of letting Thomas control him. He left TFS because he was sick of being under Thomas' thumb. And if Lalisa was reaching out to him that means that she was also done following the American with blind obedience.

"It’ll all be fine, I promise" Jaehyun says eventually, giving Johnny a confident smile.

"Okay" Johnny says, returning the smile with one of his own, "But if Thomas tries to give you shit about this, just direct him to me. He's familiar with my right-hook, after all"

"John!" Taeyong says, looking scandalized. Johnny gives an innocent "What?" but he runs it when Jaehyun grins at him, and they fistbump.

-

Jaehyun spends the morning packing for home. Christmas Break was for 3 weeks, so Jaehyun only packed a big duffel bag with some clothes and underwear. He had toiletries and shoes at home, so he was travelling moderately light the following day when he went home.

Jaehyun makes a couscous salad to take with tonight. Lalisa loves his salads, and would appreciate the little contribution to their meal.

Doyoung messaged him earlier to ask what he should bring with. Jaehyun said he didn't need to but knowing the older man he was going to ignore the advice.

Jaehyun smiles at the thought.

He loves where he and Doyoung were in their friendship. They've never been closer, and it made Jaehyun's heart flutter knowing that the love of his life was meeting his bestest best friend. It felt surreal that this was actually happening.

Jun was flying home on Monday, so he was still not packed yet. He and Minghao were planning on spending the day binge-watching some Chinese TV show that they love. When Jaehyun left that afternoon to go to the library, he waved at the two who were shouting in Mandarin at the screen.

Jaehyun had some books to hand in before leaving to go home, so that's why he needed to reach the library before it closed at 3pm.

He was so distracted on his phone that he doesn't see Thomas walking in his direction until he hears his name being spoken.

Jaehyun looks up and sighs when he sees that it's Thomas.

Without saying a word he keeps walking, looking straight ahead.

"Come on, Jaehyun, let's be civilized" he hears Thomas say behind him, trying to sound light, but there was annoyance in his voice.

Jaehyun ignores him.

"Jung Jaehyun! Don’t you dare walk away from me" Thomas says in that hard voice he uses when someone fucked up in rehearsals.

Jaehyun's mind has been conditioned to follow every instruction said in that tone.

He stops without thinking.

He hates himself for it, especially when Thomas reaches him, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"We have nothing to say to each other, Park" Jaehyun says, and Thomas merely raises his eyebrow.

"We have plenty to say. You left your bandmates behind without a second glance, throwing away 3 years of a winning combination. You disrespected us all by just quitting after our last Battle of the Bands, and you broke Lalisa's heart by walking out on her" Thomas says, voice harsh. Jaehyun flinches at the last part- he still thinks about the look in Lisa's eyes when he left.

He hates Thomas even more for bringing it up.

"You truly are a heartless piece of shit" Jaehyun growls, stepping closer towards Thomas, "You fucking nearly killed me with the way you were controlling my life, making me put my personal and academic life second just to win a competition. I developed chronic anxiety and was declared malnourished because I was’nt looking after myself"

Thomas barely blinks at Jaehyun’s words.

"I don’t lose" he says simply.

Jaehyun isn’t surprised by his response, but he still wanted to punch him.

"I'm going to leave before I do something I won’t regret" Jaehyun says, "Don’t talk to me ever again. And if you mention Lisa again, I'll make sure Johnny comes and visits you".

Jaehyun gets great satisfaction is watching Thomas become pale, before walking away.

Ten is working the afternoon shift at the library, bored out of his mind as he sits behind the reception desk, when Jaehyun walks in, arms filled with books.

The smile on Ten's face at seeing his friend slips away when he sees the expression on Jaehyun's face: the younger man looks murderous.

"What's wrong?" Ten demands. He may take always take the piss out of his friends, but he was also fiercely protective. Jaehyun puts down the books, and Ten automatically starts checking them in.

"Thomas" Jaehyun says with a frustrated sigh, and Ten sees red. If he could get away with it, Ten would chop off Park Thomas' balls.

"Want me to have a little chat with him? Maybe bring my screwdriver with?" Ten says seriously, and Jaehyun smiles, which the older man was going for. The books are all checked in, so Ten walks around the desk to where Jaehyun is standing.

"You gonna be fine?" He asks, and Jaehyun nods. Ten opens his arms, and Jaehyun immediately falls into the hug.

They stay like that for a few seconds.

"You have a 100 won fine, by the way" Ten says, and Jaehyun rolls his eyes as he leaves with a wave.

Ten takes out his phone.

'Would it be murder if I killed Thomas?' He sends to Kun.

His boyfriend messages him back after a few minutes.

'Yes, now stop asking me'

Ten sticks his tongue out at the phone screen.

-

"Do you think I should buy another bottle of wine? I don’t think one is enough" Doyoung says, busy brushing his hair out of his face as he critically looks over the outfit he's wearing for the dinner.

He went for black skinny jeans and a white button up shirt tucked in. He didn't want to look like he tried too hard, but he also didn’t want to look like he put no effort into tonight.

Johnny was sitting on his bed, eating a sandwich, "One is enough, Dons. Stop fretting now"

Doyoung ignores that last part as he puts on his glasses. After a second of hesitation he rolls up his sleeves, and puts on a thin silver necklace.

"Who are you trying to seduce, Jae or Lisa?" Johnny asks dryly, and Doyoung rolls his eyes.

"I just want to look nice, that's all" Doyoung says defensively, finally turning away from the mirror to look at Johnny, "Lisa is important to Jaehyun, so I should put in some effort"

"But she already knows you" Johnny says, and Doyoung stays quiet, hoping his face doesn’t give anything away. It does, since Johnny's suddenly smiles, "You want to impress her! Wow, you must be whipped for Jae"

Doyoung blushes, "Things are different now"

Johnny's face softens before he reaches out and pulls Doyoung onto the bed with him. Doyoung protests, but Johnny cuddles him, "My baby Dons is growing up"

"Let me go, you're ruining my hairstyle" Doyoung protests weakly, but he doesn't really mind that much. They lay like that until there's a knock by the front door.

-

Johnny goes to open the door while Doyoung panics and decides to change his hairstyle.

-

"Hey, Jae" Johnny smiles, stepping aside to allow Jaehyun inside the apartment.

"Hi, hyung" Jaehyun says, carrying a cooler bag. He's positively dressed up in a pair of black pants, a tight black tshirt and a dinner jacket. His hair is gelled back.

Johnny refrains from teasing Jaehyun.

"Is Doyoung ready?" The younger man asks, joining Johnny in the kitchen, where the taller man he them some juice.

"He's just finishing up, he'll be out soon" Johnny answers, and Jaehyun nods, taking a sip from the glass, "Are you excited for tonight?"

Jaehyun nods as his expression visible brightens, "Very much. I feel like this should have happened sooner, but I'm just glad we're trying now" Jaehyun says, "Tonight is a fresh start for me and Lisa"

"I agree" Johnny says, and the two men clink their glasses together. They both turn to look when Doyoung walks into the kitchen.

Jaehyun and Doyoung smile at each other, barely listening when Johnny leaves the kitchen with a bright "Have fun".

Johnny goes back to his room, where he calls Taeyong to ask if he wants him to go out for dinner.

Jaehyun and Doyoung walk to Lisa's place.

All the student apartments and private residences are within walking distance, and since it was such a nice evening, a stroll seemed in order.

Doyoung took in Jaehyun. His whitish blonde hair shone in the moonlight, and contrasted nicely with his all black look. He was holding a small cooler bag, which the younger man said contained his couscous salad. Jaehyun shyly admitted that it was Lisa's favorite thing to eat that he made.

Jaehyun catches Doyoung looking at him, and raises his eyebrow, "Is there something on my face?"

"No" Doyoung said, and decides to just be honest, "I was thinking about how pretty you look"

Jaehyun blushes, "Pretty? I've haven’t been called that before"

"You should be" Doyoung says, and deciding to spare Jaehyun, whose ears were getting redder, he switches gears, "Does Lalisa know I'm coming? I don't want her to chase me off the front lawn with a shotgun"

"She doesn't have a front lawn" Jaehyun says cheekily, having gained his composure, and Doyoung gives him a dry, fond look. Jaehyun grins at him, "She knows. Despite what you think, Lisa does not hate you, hyung"

Doyoung snorts. Lisa is very protective over her big brother and never approved of his and Jaehyun's arrangement. She was always knew about how unequal their relationship was, and how Jaehyun wanted more, but not Doyoung. She never liked Doyoung because of it.

"You'll be fine" Jaehyun reassures, and Doyoung pretends to believe him.

The two men arrive at Lisa's apartment a few minutes before 7pm. Jaehyun turns to Doyoung.

"Ready?" Jaehyun asks and Doyoung nods. He visibly unfreezes his features and makes sure his expression is pleasant when Jaehyun knocks.

They hear voices and the sound of feet before the door opens. Jennie, Lisa's girlfriend of 4 years, opens the door, a wide smile on her face.

Doyoung breathes a silent sigh of relief- he could deal with Jennie.

"Jae!" Jennie says happily, a smile on her pretty face, and the two of them hug for a few seconds.

"Hey, Jenjen" Jaehyun greets back, and the two of them pull back to do a complicated handshake.

Jennie was part of a girl group where she rapped and sang, and she and Jaehyun met during Orientation. He was the one that introduced Lisa and Jennie to each other.

"Doyoung!" Jennie says, and the two of them hug briefly. Doyoung has always liked Jennie, so his smile was warm and genuine towards her.

They all go inside, where they could hear music playing in the kitchen. The smell of seafood was strong, and it made Doyoung's mouth water.

Lisa was busy stirring contents in a pot when they entered. She saw Jaehyun, squealed and made her way over.

The two of them hugged for what felt like hours before pulling back. Lisa immediately started fussing, asking Jaehyun if he ate, if he was sleeping well, how was his guitar, was he-

"Lisa, sweetheart" Jaehyun says, gently cutting off the Thai girl, holding her hands in his, "Can we eat first before the interrogation starts?"

"Okay" Lisa says, a put-upon frown on her face.

It was that easy for the two guitarists to fall back into each other. Doyoung was happy to see it.

Jennie already took the cooler bag and was dishing the couscous out into a bowl.

Lisa finally turns to look at Doyoung, who'd been standing on the side, keeping quiet. Her expression grows a few degrees cooler, but she keeps her smile on her face.

"Dongyoung" She says in a stilted voice, and Doyoung almost smiles. The girl knew how to keep a grudge, even one he didn't deserve to have held against him.

"Lalisa" he replies, and she narrows her eyes at him.

Jaehyun and Jennie share a look.

-

"So, what did you bring with?" Lisa asks as they all sit around the table. Lisa takes the seat next to Jaehyun, they chairs close together, and Doyoung and Jennie are across from them. The food has been dished and served, and soft music was playing in the background.

"I got us a bottle of red wine" Doyoung says, taking the wine out of the bag. Lisa looks at it critically, while Jaehyun is deeply interested in his stirfry.

"What year?" She asks, and Doyoung smiles. Lisa was studying wine making, and Doyoung knew the best way to win her over was a good bottle of wine.

"It's a 2015 St. Le Xious Merlot" Doyoung replies, revealing the label, and smiles when Lisa tries hard not to look impressed.

Doyoung spent 10 hours looking for the wine, so she better be happy about it.

Lisa gives a nod, and after Doyoung hands over the wine, she pours them all some, first having taking her time to smell it.

Doyoung rolls his eyes at the performance.

They all enjoy their dinner, Lisa and Jaehyun catching up, their voices soft, the two of them in their own world. Jennie and Jaehyun catches each others eye and smiles.

It was nice seeing the two of them together again. They were still a little shy and unsure around each other, but the two guitarists were quickly finding their feet again.

"So" Lisa says, as the table gets cleared and the dessert, bread pudding made by Jennie, is brought out. Her eyes were on Doyoung, "I take the reason that you're here as well is an indication that you finally strapped up and started taking Jae's feelings seriously?"

Jaehyun chokes as Doyoung raises his eyebrow.

"What does that have to do with you?"

Lisa's cheeks redden, she draws a breath to reply, but Jaehyun cuts in quickly.

"We're just friends, Lisa" he says, and Lisa looks at him, before turning to Doyoung again.

"Why am I not surprised" she says, and the fact that she sounds unsurprised makes it sound worse.

Doyoung doesn’t think- he simply reaches for Jaehyun's hand across the table, which Jaehyun allows with widened eyes. The older man squeezes it gently, before letting go, facing Lisa.

"We're starting over, and finding each other again" Doyoung says, and Lisa's expression softens slightly at the honesty in Doyoung's voice, "I came tonight because I'm supporting my best friend, who wants to be in your life again"

Lisa looks at Doyoung for a few seconds, until she eventually nods, picking up the pudding bowls to dish dessert.

After the dishes are washed and the kitchen is cleaned, Jennie makes everyone hot chocolate while the rest goes to the lounge.

They all sit and talk for a while, enjoying the cookies Lisa baked. Lisa and Jaehyun share a couch, talking in that weird twin-like language they developed over the last 4 years.

Doyoung can't help but smile- no matter how he and Lisa felt about each other, he couldn't help feel warmth towards the Thai girl as he watches how Jaehyun lets out a belly laugh, his head thrown back. It was beautiful to witness.

They don't stay too late as Lisa and Jennie were leaving for home early the following morning, so they needed their sleep.

Hugs and kisses on cheeks are shared, and Lisa almost looked sincere when she wishes Doyoung goodnight.

She might be warming up to him.

The two men leave and walk back to home. Doyoung's place was closer so it wasn’t long before they stopped in front of his apartment complex.

They turn to face each other. A lock of hair fell elegantly over Jaehyun's brow, and Doyoung brushes it aside, smiling when Jaehyun's eyes close briefly at his touch.

Doyoung moves his hand away.

"Are you going to Johnny's new year party?" Doyoung asks, shoving his hands into his pockets to prevent himself from going further than he should.

He shouldn't like the fact that Jaehyun briefly looked disappointed at Doyoung not touching him anymore, before the younger man gives a small smile.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" Jaehyun says and Doyoung nods.

"Then I'll see you in a few weeks" Doyoung says. Jaehyun looks like he wants to say something but he stops.

And suddenly they're hugging. Doyoung's surprise only lasts for a few seconds before he hugs the younger man back.

They keep their arms wrapped around each other for a long time.

"I'll miss you, darling" Jaehyun murmurs into Doyoung's ear, making the older man shiver, before he tightens his hold.

"Stop being so sappy" he replies gruffly. When they eventually pull back, Jaehyun takes Doyoung’s hand in his, kissing the back of it.

-

'I'll miss you too, Jae'

Jaehyun smiles at the message that arrives a few minutes after he gets back to his place.

'Goodnight sweetheart'

'Shut up'.

-

Doyoung spends the first few weeks of the Christmas break hanging out with his older brother, eating out with his parents and catching up with his friends. He catches up on his favorite dramas, goes to festivals and enjoys Christmas

He also misses his bandmates and his friends. This is his fourth year at university, and he still isn’t used to being away from his friends for weeks on end.

He misses Jaehyun. They've grown so much stronger in the last few months, and Doyoung feels like the 'breakup' they had was good for them. He's never longed this much to sit and watch a comedy with Jaehyun, or pretend to enjoy the weird milkshakes he makes.

Doyoung also misses the press of the younger man's in his, and the feel of their bodies fitting together like they were made for each other.

Jaehyun spends his first few weeks Christmas break teaching guitar lessons, visiting his grandparents, and eating his mom's food that he always misses more than anything else.

He misses Doyoung.

God, it's always been like a gnaw in his bones when he's not around the older man, but now that love has come into the picture, the ache of longing is worse.

It's a few days before New Year's Eve when they start texting each other. There is usually no real communication if they weren't at uni, but Jaehyun decided to strap up and text Doyoung first.

It took him an hour to think of something to say, and in the end he took a picture of his mom's freshly baked carrot cake, sending it to Doyoung with the caption 'A carrot cake fitting of a Bunny Prince'.

Doyoung replies a few minutes later.

'I'll forgive you for that nickname only if you promise to bring me some of that cake'.

Jaehyun grins, butterflies in his stomach.

'And what will I get in return?'

He could practically hear Doyoung roll his eyes as his message says 'read'

He gets a reply in less than a minute.

'Maybe I'll be nice enough to kiss you at midnight'

Jaehyun chokes. He sits up straighter.

'You know I need no help getting a kiss from someone'.

Doyoung definitely snorted at this one.

'As if you want anyone else's kiss but mine'.

Jaehyun briefly wonders if it's a bad thing that Doyoung knows the younger man is spoiled for anyone else.

-

Doyoung and Jaehyun text everyday. They talk about everything and nothing; everytime Jaehyun has a cheesy new pickup line he sends it to Doyoung, who then insults him in degrees of how bad the lines are. They talk about NeoCity, their futures, their friends, families, and what they had for breakfast.

The two men get an excited twist in their stomach whenever their phones ping, and their family and friends definitely notice that they spend quite some time staring at their screens with a dumb smile on their faces.

When Doyoung happens to mention that he never watched any of the Lord of the Rings movies, Jaehyun is so offended that he immediately calls the older man.

"Hello?" Doyoung answers, and Jaehyun closes his eyes briefly. God, he's missed that voice.

For some reason phone calls never made it into the last few weeks.

"We'll watch the Lord of the Rings movies as soon as we get back to uni" Jaehyun says, and he hears Doyoung laugh. It's probably how heaven sounds.

"I would usually just say no to any request you make, but I'll say yes to this one purely because I have a crush on Orlando Bloom" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun gives a silent huff.

He's way hotter than Orlando Bloom.

They agree on marathoning the entire series over the first weekend they return to uni, and Jaehyun can’t help but briefly bask in the moment.

"Is this our first date?" He asks cheekily, smiling at himself. Doyoung hesitates, making Jaehyun grow worried that he overstepped. But before Jaehyun could talk back what he said, Doyoung replies.

"If you bring the snacks, then we can call it a date"

Jaehyun breathes a silent sigh of relief before answering.

"Anything you want, darling".

-

Johnny has a New Year's Eve party at his family's vacation house every year.

He usually only invites a small group of his friends, and they all hang out, get drunk, and light firecrackers at midnight. Doyoung has definitely had some great and messy hookups at those parties.

Last year he and Jaehyun were fucking in Johnny's bedroom as they crossed into the New Year, which was definitely fun. They'd both been drunk, horny and in the festive spirit. One dirty dance later and Doyoung had found himself on his back, Jaehyun's fingers in his ass and the younger man sucking on his neck.

 _Definitely_ fun.

This year, both men felt great anticipation leading up to the party. Not only because a New Year would start soon and that they'd see their friends, but also that they would see one another.

They've been calling each other daily, sometimes for less than 5 minutes because Doyoung wanted to hear Jaehyun play a particular chord on his guitar, and sometimes for hours on end, both lying in bed as they keep their phones against their ears, listening to the other one with a smile on their faces.

Because the Suh vacation house was in Maun which was about 6-7 hours away from both their homes, they decide to make a trip out of it and drive there. Since Jaehyun had a commitment the day they left, from the morning to the late afternoon, they would stay the night at a motel in order to not drive too late, before arriving at their location in the morning.

Johnny promised them pancakes upon arrival.

Doyoung packed light, but he made sure he had all his essentials and his usual emergency kit, which included certain pills and medicines, a roll of money tucked away, and an extra set of clothes.

Jaehyun came to fetch him just after 6pm.

Doyoung opens his front door to Jaehyun looking beautiful as always, bundled up against the cold.

"Hi" Jaehyun says, eyes greedily taking in Doyoung, who was doing the same.

"Hey" Doyoung replies softly. He wants to kiss Jaehyun, he wants to hold him.

Instead, Jaehyun has to come in to greet his parents and brother before they could leave.

Doyoung's heart lurched at the sight of his brother and Jaehyun laughing together about something, already comfortable with each other.

The two men leave with a few Tupperwares filled with food, since Mrs. Kim thinks they will starve if left to feed themselves on the road.

In the car, they look at each other and smile.

"Ready?" Jaehyun asks, turning on the engine. Doyoung nods.

"Let's go".

"So" Jaehyun starts lightly, eyes on the road as his fingers tap against the steering wheel to the beat of Kurt Cobain shredding on the guitar, "Is this going to be like a cheesy fanfic where we end up at a motel where there's only one room left, and we have to share a single room?"

Doyoung rolls his eyes, "I booked us a double-bed room 3 days ago"

Jaehyun sighs in mock disappointment, and Doyoung gives him a dry look, "That's disappointing"

"I'm sure" Doyoung says in a deadpan voice, as the next song plays, which is a jazz tune. Doyoung hums along, and occasionally sings a note or two.

Jaehyun smiles to himself, feeling relaxed and happy. He was with Doyoung, alone for atleast 7 hours, and on their way to see their best friends.

After 5 minutes, Doyoung turns to look at him.

"Wait, you read fanfiction?" The older man asks and Jaehyun smirks, looking at Doyoung quickly before facing ahead again.

"Where do you think I learned that move with my tongue that you like so much?"

Doyoung blushes.

The two men arrive at the motel at 10:34pm, hungry and tired. Jaehyun and Doyoung goes to confirm their room booking.

They get the key at reception, Doyoung glaring at the receptionist openly ogling at Jaehyun. He makes sure their hands brush as they walk back to their car, missing Jaehyun's smile.

Back in the car, they drive to the motel block that has their room. It was a nice place, clean and nicely decorated inside, with two beds, a TV stand, built in closets and an ensuite.

"I'll take the bed by the window" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun nods easily, taking the other bed. They weren't going to bother unpacking since they were only sleeping here one night, so Doyoung takes out the food that his mom packed while Jaehyun showered first.

Once the green curry and rice, pickled onion salad and Tom yum soup was dished out, Doyoung messaged his parents to reassure them that he and Jaehyun arrived safely.

The bathroom door opens up just as Doyoung puts on some soft music, and the older man looks up, swallowing hard when he sees Jaehyun exiting with a flimsy towel wrapped around his waist, and nothing else.

Jaehyun was busy towel drying his hair, his upper body slightly glistening and a light shade of pink. That towel really wasn’t hiding anything.

"That smells delicious" Jaehyun says, folding the small towel he used for his hair, walking towards the table with an appreciative sniff. He catches Doyoung staring at his chest and grins, "How about you shower and then we can eat afterward? I can wait"

Doyoung nods, clearing his throat as he looks everywhere but Jaehyun's crotch area. Trying to find equilibrium again, Doyoung gives a passing remark as he picks up his toiletry bag "Throw those towels in the laundry bin when you're done".

"I can do it right now, sweetheart" Jaehyun drawls, and Doyoung raises an eyebrow at him, making sure his expression is uninterested.

"Trying to seduce your band leader, Jung?" He asks sardonically and fights not to step back when Jaehyun is suddenly in his space. He smells like spice and musk. Doyoung has always loved the way the younger man smells.

"I'm not trying to seduce anyone" Jaehyun says in an amicable tone, his eyes scorching and his voice deepened. Doyoung's licks his lips, and Jaehyun follows his tongue, before continuing "We're just friends. Friends don't seduce each other, right?"

Doyoung smiles, making sure it's small and pleasant, before pulling off his shirt. Jaehyun's eyes widen slightly.

"Just getting ready to shower" Doyoung says, reaching for his belt buckle. He unzips his pants, but doesn’t pull it down, smile widening at Jaehyun's eyes flitting down to look.

"I think I saw a cool drink machine near our room" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun's eyes fly up to meet his, confused and slightly dazed, "Get me a coke"

With that Doyoung turns and walks to the bathroom. He takes a breath once the door is closed, feeling satisfied despite his erection.

Two could play this game.

-

Doyoung and Jaehyun end up on the older man's bed, Jaehyun's laptop between them as they watch YouTube videos, laughing and playfully fighting over the dried fruit slices and popcorn that they were sharing.

They were leaving the motel at 9am the following morning, so they only meant to watch a few videos. Yet somehow they ended up binge-watching Buzzfeed Unsolved videos late into the night.

"Hey, do you think that-" Jaehyun says, turning to look at Doyoung but stops when he sees the older man fast asleep, glasses sliding down his face and hands tucked under his armpits.

Jaehyun smiles, gently removing his glasses, before placing another pillow under his head so that he was comfortable, and pulling the blanket over him.

He closes the laptop, and moves to get up, but Doyoung reaches for him, eyes not opening. Jaehyun freezes, unsure of what to do.

"Stay" Doyoung mumbles, and Jaehyun can’t deny this man anything. So he sets the laptop on the side table, and settles next to Doyoung. His arms wrap around the older man, who hums, sounding content. His head ends up on Jaehyun's shoulder who tightens his hold, burying his nose in Doyoung's apple-scented hair.

He stays still, matching his breathing with Doyoung.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Jaehyun asks softly, and Doyoung sighs, pinching Jaehyun's nipple lightly.

"Shh" he mumbles, and Jaehyun smiles, "Sleep".

Jaehyun stays awake an hour longer, staring at the ceiling while he strokes Doyoung's hair, feeling the older man's heartbeat against his own chest.

"I've missed this" Jaehyun murmurs, looking down at Doyoung, who is fast asleep, his lips slightly parted so that Jaehyun got a glimpse of his retainer.

"I've missed holding you like this, listening to your breathing and feeling your body against mine" Jaehyun continues, before smiling, "You'd call me a weirdo right now for saying that and probably push me off the bed, but I'm gonna be honest here, darling"

The younger man takes a deep breath, nervous despite the fact that he was essentially talking to himself.

"I love you" Jaehyun says and God, that feels good to say, "I've probably been in love with you since I first met you 4 years ago at our first Bandfire. You were talking to Yuta hyung, laughing about something, and the sound of it made me look. I'd never heard anyone laugh so loudly and freely"

Jaehyun could remember clearly the lurch in his stomach, and the instant desire he felt, "I knew you were interested the moment we made eye contact. We could have probably hooked up that night if you hadn't found out that I was Thomas' guitarist. Jesus, it took me 5 months to just to get you to talk to me"

Jaehyun's smile turns fond.

"Took me 3 years before I kissed you. But damn if it wasn’t worth it. You still have the best lips" Jaehyun says, pressing a kiss against Doyoung's forehead, "I love you, Kim Dongyoung. I'm sorry if that's inconvenient, but I do. And I'll wait for you"

Jaehyun runs his eyes over Doyoung's face one last time before he closes them, settling against the pillow.

"As long as it takes".

-

The alarm goes off at 7:30am the following morning. Jaehyun startles awake, groaning softly.

He shuts it off, and wants to immediately go back to sleep, but if they wanted to get to Johnny's on time, they had to be on the road by 9:00am.

Jaehyun looks down at Doyoung who slept through the alarm. He gently strokes his fingers through Doyoung's hair, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

"Darling" he murmurs, smiling when Doyoung groans, swatting his hand feebly. When Doyoung finally blinks his eyes open, Jaehyun's smile widens at his disgruntled look.

"I was having a good dream" the older man grumbles, turning his face back into the pillows.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but we need to get up" Jaehyun says, giving Doyoung's hair one final pet, before getting up. He goes over to his side of the bed where he grabs his bag, taking out a fresh pair of clothes.

"Who decided waking up this early was a good idea" Doyoung says, sitting up as he grabs his glasses. His hair is a mess, and his eyes are soft and sleepy.

He took Jaehyun's breath away.

"You did" Jaehyun replies lightly, and Doyoung ignores him as he sinks back into the pillows.

"If you get out of bed in the next 5 minutes then I'll buy you breakfast" Jaehyun promises, rubbing Doyoung's back.

The younger man has dealt with Doyoung's hatred of waking up in the morning for over a year now, so he knows exactly what works with Doyoung.

Doyoung doesn’t move for a few seconds until he gives a defeated sigh, turning to look at Jaehyun.

"I want a chocolate croissant" he says, and Jaehyun grins.

"Anything you want, sweetheart"

The two men sign out of the motel at 8:41am, Jaehyun giving the front receptionist a friendly smile that earns him another glare from Doyoung.

They drop by a diner close to the motel where they order takeaway coffee and breakfast pastries, before getting on the road again.

-

"When we get married, do you think Johnny will allow us to have the wedding at the vacation house?" Jaehyun muses, head bobbing along to Shania Twain.

Doyoung throws his tissue at Jaehyun's head.

-

Doyoung naps the last 2 and a half hours it takes it to get to Johnny's, snoring softly while Jaehyun hums to himself, feeling content.

Johnny meets them outside the house, smiling widely as he watches Jaehyun park, before he goes over to Doyoung's side to bang on the car window, startling the other man awake. Jaehyun takes out their bags while Johnny gives Doyoung a massive bear hug.

He's pretty sure he hears Doyoung's bones crack.

The three men go inside, the first of the group to arrive. Since it was only Johnny at the house, there were no decorations up. The crates of alcohol stood in the kitchen, and Doyoung, Kun and Taeyong were in charge of snacks for the party.

The vacation house was situated near a national park that has a beautiful lake, which gave a gorgeous view of trees and a mountain in the distance. There were enough rooms for everyone to sleep in, and Jaehyun, Doyoung, Hendery and YangYang were sharing a room.

Mark and the rest of the Dreamies went on a group vacation to Jeju Island, so they weren’t joining them.

Once their bags were unpacked, Johnny made them pancakes with a ton of chocolate chips in it. Doyoung sat bleary eyed as the older man cooked, not contributing much to the conversation between Jaehyun and Johnny. He became a little more alive once the pancakes were in front of him, humming appreciatively at how delicious they were.

Doyoung went to go take a nap in the bedroom while Johnny and Jaehyun played soccer outside.

About an hour later, he was rudely awoken by Kun and Ten flopping on him.

Everyone else arrives slowly but steadily, and it felt great to see everyone after all these weeks.

By 3pm, everyone was there, having pizza and wine for lunch at the lake. Doyoung nibbles on his veg pizza while watching Xiaojun and Taeil play guitar, his head resting on Ten's shoulder, who was absentmindedly stroking his hair while wolfing down his own slice of pizza.

Doyoung's eyes find Jaehyun, sitting on the grass with his head thrown back as he laughs loudly at something WinWin said, feet thrown over the Chinese man's lap. He feels himself soften- Jaehyun was shining, his eyes crunched up and his cheeks red.

Doyoung tried to ignore the way his heart swelled at the sight.

It was about an hour later when Ten jumped into the lake. Everyone else followed quickly.

Content lying on the grass and drinking his glass of Merlot, Doyoung watches his friends, his eyes lingering on Jaehyun as he strips off his shirt and shorts, leaving him in his boxer briefs as he dives from a plank into the water.

Ten is lying on the deck next to Doyoung, busy telling him about being home in Thailand for Christmas, when Jaehyun gets out of the lake, looking like he's in some Abercrombie & Fitch advert. Water was running down his chest, and his boxer briefs was clinging to his skin.

Doyoung swallows when Jaehyun runs his fingers through his hair, face tipped up to the sun.

"Lord knows I love Kun, but I would happily sit on Jaehyun's face right now" Ten says, and Doyoung can’t help but silently agree.

-

"Hey" Jaehyun says, getting Doyoung's attention who'd been laying on his bed, texting his brother. Jaehyun turns in a circle, "Does this scream 'I'm ready for the new year?'"

Doyoung runs his eyes over Jaehyun. He showered after getting out of the lake so his hair was still damp, pushed out of his face. He was wearing a black denim jacket over tight white tshirt; his jeans was ripped and faded, and he was wearing leather boots. His necklace was thin with a small, white stone in the center and his ears were lined with earrings.

He looked breathtaking, as usual.

"It'll do" Doyoung says mildly, eyes flitting down to his phone screen again. He didn't miss the huff of laughter Jaehyun gives.

He does look up when Jaehyun comes around to his side, leaning down.

"Thank you, darling" the younger man says softly, and Doyoung just prevents himself from melting into Jaehyun when he kisses him on the cheek, "I appreciate it"

He was probably close enough to making some dumb mistake like tearing his clothes off and letting Jaehyun have his way with him when YangYang walks into the room, talking in rapid German on his phone. He smiles at them briefly as he walks over to his bag, searching through it.

Jaehyun straightens up, looking at Doyoung for a few seconds before giving him a smile, and walking out of the room.

Doyoung closes his eyes, knocking his head back softly against the bedframe.

He showers and gets dressed himself before going downstairs. The snacks were made, and the music was already booming throughout the house. It was 10pm, 2 hours before midnight and Doyoung was ready to get drunk and have fun. He goes to the lounge with his bottle of beer where most of the group was.

Ten was fighting Johnny on who got to DJ first while Kun was making some sangrias in the kitchen. The rest of WayV were sitting on the patio, sorting out the firecrackers while Yuta and Taeyong were grilling meat in the backyard.

'Tambourine' started playing, which means that Johnny won the fight, and Doyoung grins when Jaehyun whoops, dragging him to the little makeshift dancefloor in the center of the lounge.

It's 11:15pm when Ten finally gets Johnny out of the DJ booth. He puts on a recorded version of WayV's 'Love Talk', gets on a table and starts dancing like he's at a strip club.

Kun, with a soft sigh, gets up from the couch, glass of sangria on his hand, and makes sure he's close enough to his boyfriend in case he needs to prevent him from falling.

-

Johnny and Taeyong slip away at 11:23pm, going upstairs where they lock themselves in the toilet.

-

At 11:31pm Xuxi, Jungwoo and Xiaojun are on the dancefloor, their bodies pressed together as they dance together. Xiaojun was between the two taller men, arms around Xuxi while Jungwoo was pressed against his bad.

"I told you" Jaehyun says with a smirk, sitting on the couch next to Doyoung and Taeil, where they watched the three men with interest. Xiaojun was busy stroking Xuxi's muscles.

-

The fireworks are set up at 11:49pm, ready for midnight.

-

At 11:56pm, everyone goes outside for the fireworks. The countdown was being projected against the outside wall (thanks to Hendery) and everyone stopped fucking long enough to reign in the new year together.

Doyoung and Jaehyun were standing with their sides pressed together when Jaehyun reached out, wrapping his pinky around Doyoung's.

When Doyoung looks at the younger man in surprise, Jaehyun smiles, unable to hide the little insecurity he still carries regarding his and Doyoung's relationship.

"Is this okay?" He asks, and Doyoung looks at him silently for a few seconds before nodding.

-

At 11:59:53 Doyoung turns to Jaehyun, watching how the younger man counts down to the New Year, a princess crown on his head and a silly moustache on his face, courtesy of Johnny. The younger man was glowing, anticipating the start of 2020.

He was always glowing.

Doyoung places his hand on Jaehyun's cheek to turn his face towards the older man, and smiles when Jaehyun widens his eyes as they make eye contact.

"Don’t take this personally" he says in a serious voice, just before everyone shouts "Happy New Year!" and he leans in, kissing Jaehyun on the lips.

The younger man makes a soft sound against his lips before pulling Doyoung against him, kissing him back. He was like a starved man finally getting to eat the banquet, his lips and tongue eliciting sounds and feelings out of Doyoung that he hasn’t felt in so long.

They ignore the fireworks and the cheering, too wrapped up in each other. Jaehyun pushes the older man against the tree they were standing by, groaning when Doyoung grinds their hips together.

"If you get your pants off in the next 5 minutes, then I'll give you the best blowjob of your life" Doyoung says against Jaehyun's lips, who needs no further motivation to get them further into the woods for more privacy.

The fireworks were still going off when the two men reach the lake in record time, and luckily it wasn’t cold, so Jaehyun could just quickly spread a blanket left from earlier today onto the deck, before turning to Doyoung.

Jaehyun stares as Doyoung take off his clothes, folding and putting them on a nearby deck chair, his eyes on Jaehyun as well.

"Why are you still wearing your pants?" Doyoung asks, and Jaehyun quickly shakes himself out of his lust-filled haze in order to strip naked.

Doyoung licks his lips when he sees Jaehyun's erection, and he soon has the younger man on his back, their naked bodies sliding together as they kiss again, Doyoung straddling Jaehyun's hips.

"Don’t come" Doyoung murmurs before kissing his way down Jaehyun's body, wrapping his fingers around Jaehyun's erection,his lips tilted up when the younger man groans softly.

"Happy New Year" Doyoung says before taking the head into his mouth, sucking on it.

"Fuck" Jaehyun moans, thumping his head against the blanket, staring blindly at the firework exploding in the air.

-

Jaehyun doesn't come. He had to pull Doyoung off to prevent himself from orgasming, and quickly turns the tables so that the older man is below him.

With no lube on either of them, they have to go for the next best thing, which is Jaehyun fucking Doyoung's ass with his tongue until the band leader begs for release.

Once Jaehyun is satisfied that Doyoung is nice and loose he pulls him against his chest, arm around his waist so that Doyoung's back is pressed against him. Jaehyun spreads the band leader’s cheeks so that his erection is snug against his hole.

Jaehyun thrusts his hips, grinding against Doyoung's hole while the older man moans, head tilted back against the guitarist's shoulder, lips parted in a silent moan.

It only takes one tug off his erection for Doyoung to come, turning his head to kiss Jaehyun who follows closely, releasing between Doyoung's ass cheeks. He rides out his orgasm until he's too sensitive.

-

Doyoung ends up sprawled on Jaehyun's chest, unable to take his eyes off the younger man.

They haven't spoken since they used Doyoung's Henley to clean themselves up, Doyoung complaining the whole time about how gross it was. Now they had a piece of the blanket thrown over them, and since the fireworks stopped, they could hear the sound of the water, and crickets.

"When second semester starts, I'm taking you on a date" Jaehyun says determinedly, stroking Doyoungs spine, who doesn’t have the energy in him to be snarky.

"If we win the Battle of the Bands in June, you can take me on a date" he bargains, and Jaehyun thinks for a few seconds before nodding.

"And until then? June is 6 months away" Jaehyun says, and Doyoung shrugs, stroking Jaehyun's pec.

"We keep practicing, go to class, and ace our examinations. And have sex in between all that" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun smiles.

The two men stay outside for a few extra minutes. They'd need to go back before anyone got worried, but for now they were content to stare at the stars, and enjoy the feeling of holding each

other.

"I had a great conversation with you last night" Jaehyun says, breaking the comfortable silence between them. Doyoung, whose head was resting over Jaehyun's heart, looks up at the younger man.

"I dont remember any great conversation" Doyoung replies, and Jaehyun dimples at him. The singer once again ignores the swell in his heart for the other man, "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

"Nope, I was wide awake. You were the one sleeping" Jaehyun says, running his fingers across Doyoung's cheek, "It was quite nice, I must say"

Doyoung looks offended, slapping Jaehyun on the chest, "What's that suppose to mean?"

Jaehyun takes in the furrowed brows, pinched mouth and blazing eyes. His smile widens.

"You're so beautiful, do you know that?" Jaehyun says, enjoying how Doyoung's expression visibly changes into one of shy pleasure.

"Shut up" he mumbles, looking like he wants to hide. Jaehyun decides to spare him.

"When you asked me to sleep with you, it just made me realize how much I missed holding you, and the feel of your heart beating" Jaehyun says, "And I reminisced about how we met. I can still remember that outfit you wore"

"You are such a weirdo" Doyoung says, and shakes his head in fond bemusement when Jaehyun laughs out loud.

"Want to know what else I said?" Jaehyun asks, intertwining their fingers together.

"If you confessed some illegal dealings, I won’t keep it a secret" Doyoung says, yelping when Jaehyun slaps him lightly on the butt, "Okay fine, tell me"

"I..." Jaehyun says, leaning in to whisper in Doyoung's ear, "Will tell you another time when we're not naked in the middle of the woods on New Year's Day"

"Now I'm even more curious" Doyoung whines, pouting cutely but doesn’t resist when Jaehyun kisses him, effectively distracting the older man.

-

Jaehyun and Doyoung eventually get dressed and walk back to the house. They arrive in time for Kun to receive his birthday cake, baked by Taeyong. It was a pretty blue colour with Chinese symbols frosted on top.

"Happy birthday dear Kun" they sing, clapping along as they watch a smiling Kun accepts the hat Ten puts on his head, "Happy birthday to you!"

Everyone hoops and cheers as Kun closes his eyes, making a wish before blowing out his candles.

"Where were you two?" Johnny asks softly, standing next to Jaehyun as Ten smears some icing on his boyfriend's nose.

Jaehyun keeps his eyes on the two men, hoping his red cheeks aren't obvious, "Doie and I went to take a walk and enjoy the fireworks at the lake"

"Anything happen?" the taller man asks, and Jaehyun shakes his head.

He and Doyoung decided to keep their thing to themselves for now. They wanted their little bubble to last a bit longer. They'd eventually tell everyone.

"I'll pretend I believe you" Johnny drawls and Jaehyun sticks his tongue out at him.

Everyone goes to sleep soon after the cake it cut and the alcohol content has been halved.

Jaehyun and Doyoung share a long, scorching kiss in the bathroom before going to the separate beds.

"Goodnight, Jae" Doyoung says softly, turning his head to look at Jaehyun. The younger man's eyes seem to shine, the moonlight shining on his face.

"Goodnight, sweetheart" he murmurs, arm extended out. Doyoung doesn't hesitate to do the same, brushing his fingers against Jaehyun's, loosely lacing them together.

They wake up to a loud crash and the sound of loud voices downstairs. The smell of burnt bacon was strong.

Doyoung groans. Ten must be cooking.

He goes downstairs where Ten gives him a wide smile and offers burnt toast.

Doyoung glares at him before pointedly reaching for the jug of orange juice on the table.

Ten snarls at the singer before giving a saccharine smile at someone behind him. Doyoung turns and gives Jaehyun an appreciative once over- he had on sweatpants and nothing else.

"Here Jae, I made you some toast" Ten chirps, Jaehyun looks hesitant before standing next to Doyoung and taking a slice of toast. He gingerly takes a bite of the least burnt side, trying not to grimace.

"Mmm, tasty" he says and Ten preens. Doyoung rolls his eyes.

"Stop trying to seduce Jaehyun with your terrible toast, and let me take over before you poison everyone" Doyoung says, reaching for the eggs while Jaehyun chokes his toast.

"I'd like scrambled eggs" Ten says calmly.

-

"You made this?" Kun asks doubtfully as he comes downstairs just as Ten sets down the second tray of fried sausages.

Since there were so many of them, breakfast was being eaten outside on the patio. Kun was the last one to come downstairs, still in his pajamas with a huge hickey on his neck.

Ten snorts, patting Kun on the cheek as he passes him.

Jaehyun and Doyoung share little kisses and touches throughout the day, a haze of happiness between them.

Kun's real birthday celebration was that afternoon. A lakeside party was held where hotpot and Korean BBQ was served, and the rest of the alcohol was drunk.

Everyone was happy and in a party mood, enjoying the last few days before second semester started. Kun received a birthday lapdance from everyone, and Ten even managed to get him drunk.

Things certainly got exciting towards the end of the afternoon when Johnny pulled out a promise ring, placing it on an ecstatic and shaking Taeyong while everyone cheered and whooped.

"Why don’t you get me a ring like that" Yuta pouts to Sicheng, who gives his boyfriend a fond look.

"You keep telling everyone we're getting married, isn’t that good enough?" The Chinese man replies, making Yuta beam.

-

That night they all go out to eat dinner, sitting around a huge table where they order practically everything from the menu with bottles of wine.

Doyoung and Jaehyun sit next to each other, Jaehyun's hand on Doyoung's leg. They share small smiles with each other, occasionally brushing their shoulders together.

Kun is surprised with another birthday cake, this time a chocolate ice cream cake with strawberries on top. Every takes turns giving the Chinese man a smooch on the face, and once the food is eaten, Kun cuts the cake for everyone to eat.

They all end up at a bar later on, dancing and having fun. Taeyong bats his eyes and gets everyone a round of free drinks, and Jaehyun and Doyoung sneak away to the back alley for some naughtiness.

-

Jaehyun is squeezed onto the deck chair with WinWin and Yuta the following morning, cuddling both men while Doyoung finally swims in the lake with the others.

They're loud, and water splashes occasionally on the deck, but everyone couldn’t be happier. It was their final day at the vacation house, and the last Friday before class starts. All the packing and preparations for uni would start this weekend.

But for now it would be all fun and games.

It's just after midnight when Ten suggests Spin the Bottle.

"No"

"Yes"

"No, Chittaphon"

"Yes, Dongyoung"

Doyoung glares at Ten, who's obviously not letting go of his idea to play Spin the Bottle. Doyoung was the only one firmly against the idea because no.

Just no.

As attractive as his friends are, he did not want any kisses from them. Call him boring all you want, _Ten._

"Just one round, Doie" Ten says in that cute voice Doyoung hates. He hates it because Ten usually gets whatever he wants with that voice.

Like right now.

So that's how Doyoung finds himself sitting in a circle in the lounge, stuck between Taeil and Hendery. Jaehyun was strategically placed across from him, because if he had to kiss someone in this game, it would rather be someone he wanted to.

The bottle is an empty Tall Horse Pinotage 2014, a classic from Johnny's dad's wine cellar.

"The rules are that there are no rules" Ten says, grinning. Doyoung rolls his eyes.

“The rules are that the kiss is 3 seconds maximum, no tongue" Doyoung says, and Ten sighs.

"Fine" he says, before smiling evilly, "But if it lands on the same couple twice, they have to do a full makeout"

Doyoung thinks about it, before nodding.

"Okay, let's start"

Yuta spins first, and when it lands on Johnny and Kun, everyone cheers and gives lewd comments when the two men kiss, Johnny giggling when they pull away.

Except for one spin where the bottle landed on the Huang brothers, Xuxi and Hendery, everyone got a chance to kiss someone else.

Doyoung, after two shots of vodka, starts enjoying himself. He kisses Taeyong, Johnny and Ten. Bowls of chips and sweets are shared around, and Doyoung laughs loudly when Taeil has to kiss Jungwoo but he accidentally sneezes in the younger man's face.

There's an interesting moment when the bottle lands on Xuxi but the other side is directly between Hendery and Xiaojun, and he ends up kissing both of them, getting a cheer for it.

Taeyong and Yuta land on each other twice so they have to make out. It was both hot and awkward at the same time, and Doyoung couldn't help but notice how both Sicheng and Johnny seem to enjoy watching their boyfriends make it. The two men part at the exact 60th second, cheeks red, and Taeyong gives a high-pitched giggle when Yuta playfully winks at him.

"Yes" Jaehyun says softly when the bottle finally lands on him and Doyoung. He doesn't bother hiding his delighted smile as he and the older man meet halfway across the open space of the circle.

He makes it a point to gently cup Doyoung's face before leaning in, pressing their lips together.

Doyoung sighs contently against his lips before kissing the younger man back. They hear everyone count down from 3, and when their time is up, Jaehyun gives Doyoung's bottom lip a cheeky nibble before pulling back.

"That was hot" Ten says, exaggeratedly fanning himself, "I hope I get to land on Jaehyun- ow!"

Kun flicked the Thai man on the ear, making him pout. Jaehyun grins at Doyoung before going back to his spot.

When Jaehyun and Doyoung land on each other a third time, Ten looks like he was the one who won a huge price.

"New rule!" He shouts before Doyoung could stop him, "If the same couple has to kiss a third time, then they have to do 7 minutes in heaven. Say I if you agree"

"I!" Everyone says immediately. Doyoung hides his smirk- since no one knows about his and Jaehyun's agreement, he's had to put up with Ten trying to get the two of them back together the past few days. Even the last few months. This was probably Ten's way of forcing them to be in an enclosed space so they have no choice but to talk and sort things out, or whatever.

"Whatever" Doyoung says, giving a put-upon sigh before grabbing Jaehyun's hand and dragging him to the broom closet under the stairs.

"Use protection!" Johnny shouts, eliciting some immature giggling and clapping. Doyoung throws a middle finger over his shoulder before getting both him and Jaehyun into the closet.

As soon as the door is closed, Doyoung kisses the younger man, reaching for his belt buckle.

"They'll be listening" Jaehyun says, but doesn’t stop the band leader, reaching around to take handfuls of Doyoung's ass into his hands. The closet was dark, adding to the charged, sexual atmosphere.

"Then we'll need to be quiet" Doyoung whispers, gently biting Jaehyun on his bottom lip, making him moan a little louder than he should.

"Yes, get in there!" They hear Ten shouts from outside the room.

Seven minutes goes by quickly, and Doyoung was still giving Jaehyun a slow, hot handjob when Ten pounds on the door. Doyoung gives Jaehyun one last tug, before tucking his hard on back into his boxer briefs, and zipping him up.

"I hate you" Jaehyun mutters before the door opens, making Doyoung grin.

Ten has a lecherous smirk on his face, and everyone else looks interested as the two men return to the lounge.

Doyoung makes sure his expression looks bored, and Jaehyun hides his erection by wrapping his jacket around his waist.

When both men say nothing, simply taking their seats again, Ten sighs.

"You two are no fun".

-

The game ends just after 2am, and when Xiaojun and YangYang decide to stay downstairs and watch an episode of a new anime they started bingeing, Jaehyun and Doyoung take advantage of the brief privacy to shower together.

Thank God for ensuites.

Doyoung takes his sweet time undressing Jaehyun, kissing and nipping on each new exposure of skin, enjoying the noises Jaehyun makes.

Once both men are naked, they get into the stall, standing under the water. Doyoung wraps his arms around Jaehyun's neck, pressing their wet bodies together before kissing him.

They take their time kissing, running their hands over each other's bodies and enjoying each other. Jaehyun presses Doyoung against the tile wall, grinning when the older man gasps at the coldness, before moaning when Jaehyun hitches his leg up, wrapping it around the younger man's waist. Their erections brush against each other, making both men groan.

"I've wanted to do this all night" Jaehyun murmurs, wrapping his hand around both their erections, tightening his hold, making Doyoung whimper before thrusting his hips forward, "It was kinda hot seeing you kiss the others"

The younger man can see that Doyoung wants to make a snarky comment, so he starts sliding their erections together, creating delicious, hot friction. Doyoung tips his head back, a pleasured expression on his face, and Jaehyun can’t help but lean in and suck on the older man's pulse point until a visible hickey appears.

Jaehyun ends up doing most of the work, moving his hips at a slow and steady pace, while Doyoung simply works at keeping his leg hitched up, lazily stroking the back of Jaehyun's neck which is the younger man's weakness.

When Jaehyun drags his thumb over Doyoung's slit, the older man moans loudly against the guitarist's lips. It only takes a few more tugs before Doyoung comes all over Jaehyun's stomach, his vision whitening briefly before he slumps against the younger man.

Doyoung rests his forehead against Jaehyun's shoulder, moaning weakly as Jaehyun quickens his thrusts, sending shivers of pleasure down the older man's spine, feeling as if his orgasm high is never going to end. He lazily starts kissing Jaehyun's neck, moving his lips up to the ear.

"Have you asked Johnny?" Doyoung murmurs in Jaehyun's ear, tightening his grip on the guitarist's hair.

"Ask what?" Jaehyun asks distractingly, nose buried in Doyoung's wet hair.

"If we can have our wedding here" Doyoung says, before nibbling on Jaehyun's earlobe, who moans at Doyoung's words, coming a few seconds later.

Doyoung smirks as Jaehyun shakes through his orgasm, but his hands are gentle when he cups Jaehyun's face, kissing him on the lips.

"You're too easy" he murmurs.

Jaehyun playfully rolls his eyes, "Do you want me to wash your back?" He asks and Doyoung nods, turning around. Jaehyun reaches for the shower gel.

The following morning is busy as everyone packs up, and helps clean the house before breakfast. Since WayV was made up of foreign members, they were all returning to their apartments on campus today, with Yuta joining them so that he and WinWin can stay together.

Johnny and Taeyong were remaining at the vacation house, and the rest of them were going home.

Everyone decided to help in the kitchen, which was nice but also hectic. Once everyone ate, they said their goodbyes until the following night, when everyone was planning on going out for First Sunday.

Jaehyun and Doyoung left just after 12am. They were staying at the same motel, and would be home early the following morning so that they had enough time to pack up and get back to university by early evening. They didn’t need to stay at the motel again, but wanted one more romantic night before second semester started.

"Tell your brother I say hi!" Ten tells Doyoung as the band leader and Jaehyun get into the car. Doyoung rolls his eyes at his best friend.

"Lulu said she was going to kick your ass if you kept flirting with her boyfriend" Doyoung shouts as the car starts, and they drive off with the sound of Ten's laughter.

-

The two men arrive at the motel by 6pm that evening, and sign in before going to their room.

Jaehyun is surprised when he sees only one bed, not two. He turns to Doyoung, who closes the door, before turning to smile at Jaehyun.

"I stole Johnny's bottle of lube and some condoms" he says, and Jaehyun drops their bags, before unceremoniously picking up the older man, carrying him over to the bed.

-

Much later that evening, Jaehyun and Doyoung are sitting up in bed, sides pressed together as they eat the sandwiches and salads Doyoung made them at Johnny's.

They were both still slightly sweaty, and Jaehyun's hair was a mess- Doyoung kept running his eyes over the younger man's exposed upper body, his lingering on his lap.

Jaehyun catches the older man staring while he was drinking from his water bottle. Jaehyun closes the cap, raising an eyebrow.

"See something you like, Kim?" He drawls and Doyoung's smiles, unashamedly.

"Freshly fucked is a good look on you" Doyoung says, and since they were done eating, he makes sure their hands are empty before climbing onto Jaehyun's lap, resting his ass on the guitarist's half-hard dick, making him moan.

"Insatiable" Jaehyun says, voice raspy and deep, "I like it"

Doyoung rocks his hips as Jaehyun settles his hands on his asscheeks, spreading them apart. They both reach for a condom at the same time.

-

The two men are out of the motel by 10:00am the following morning, eating a quick breakfast by the nearby diner.

Doyoung has an eggs Benedict while Jaehyun has a BLT with fries, much to the judgement of the older man.

"You're going to die from cholesterol" Doyoung says bluntly, cutting up his breakfast into smaller portions.

Jaehyun grins, flexing his muscles, "I think I'm good". He ignores how Doyoung pretends to throw up in his plate.

-

The men arrive at the Kim residence by 1:27pm. Mrs. Kim convinces Jaehyun to stay for a quick snack, which is how he ends up in their kitchen, watching Doyoung's mom put together a cheese and dry fruit platter, while Mr. Kim proudly tells Jaehyun and Doyoung about the new flower seeds he got. He was hoping that Gongmyung would help him plant them the following day.

Jaehyun watches the Kims interact with a small smile on his face.

When Jaehyun finally leaves, he makes sure to give Doyoung a long, lingering kiss.

"See you later, darling" he murmurs, before getting into his car.

"Message me when you get home" Doyoung orders, and Jaehyun nods, giving a dimpled smile, before driving off.

-

Jaehyun gets back to his student apartment around 7pm that evening, putting all the food his mom gave him in the kitchen, and dumps his bags on his bed.

He goes to Jun's room who was watching something on his laptop, and kisses the Chinese man on the forehead, giving him a quick hug before leaving the apartment. They could catch up tomorrow morning over breakfast. But for now Jaehyun had to leave.

The gang were all meeting up at a sushi restaurant for dinner before going out for First Sunday. Their little student town would be filled up, and there were specials everywhere, so it was going to be fun.

Jaehyun makes sure he has his wallet on him before getting into his car. He had to pick up Doyoung and Johnny at their apartment.

When he gets to the two men's apartment, he knocks on the door, only waiting a few seconds before Taeyong opens the door, looking pretty with a new, shorter haircut and blue/silver hair.

"Nice" Jaehyun says appreciatively as they hug. Jaehyun enters, and they go to the kitchen where Johnny was making them cocktails. Yuta and Sicheng were already there, who Jaehyun greets. He clings to Sicheng until the Chinese man has to pull him off, and when Doyoung enters the kitchen, Jaehyun feels his heart skip a beat at the beautiful smile the band leader gives him.

"Missed you darling" Jaehyun says as they hug, Jaehyun taking his time before he lets Doyoung go.

"I saw you less than two hours ago, Jung" Doyoung says with a fond eye, patting Jaehyun's cheek.

"You know I always miss seeing those beautiful eyes" Jaehyun drawls and Doyoung can't hide his grin, his cheeks red.

"You two are gross" Yuta says, sitting on the counter with his arms around Sicheng, who was standing with his back against the Japanese man's chest.

Doyoung gives him a dry look.

-

Hendery and Kun arrive last at the restaurant, complaining about bad traffic and not finding parking. The two men and Xuxi live together, and Xuxi was only coming back to campus the following morning.

It was nice to have everyone around the table, even though it hasn't been more than a day since they saw each other. Kun sits next to him and Doyoung gives minimum protest when the Chinese man steals a piece of his sashimi.

They all go to the Pirate Ship afterwards, where a tequila hour was being held between 10-11pm, where all orders with tequila are halved and only Latin music gets played. Everyone takes two shots before dispersing, either sitting down to enjoy their drinks and chat, or get on the dance floor.

Doyoung goes and gets a bottle of water at the bar. One of his class friends manages to distract him, and Doyoung is busy laughing at a joke when someone suddenly presses against his back, breathing against his neck.

Thinking it's Jaehyun, Doyoung smiles until he sees that Jamie, the friend he was talking to, is looking at the person with a grossed out look.

Jamie knows Jaehyun, and they're friends as well, which is why Doyoung immediately knows something is wrong.

Doyoung turns around and faces a guy he doesn't know, who's resting his hands on Doyoung's waist. He was obviously plastered, his breath stinking of tequila. Doyoung tries not to gag.

"Hey, pretty boy. Wanna come back to my place?" The guy slurs, trying to get closer to Doyoung again. The band leader presses a hand against the stranger's chest, trying to shove him away, but the stranger doesn't budge.

"Get off me, or you'll regret it very soon" Doyoung says calmly, trying not to make a scene. The guy gives a smirk that looks slimy on him, licking his lips.

"Come on, baby. Don’t play hard to get" he says, and Doyoung is two seconds away from kicking the guy in the nuts when Jaehyun is suddenly there, hand on the stranger's shoulder.

"Hands off, bro" he says, voice hard as steel, and when his hand can’t get shrugged off, the stranger let's go of Doyoung to around and face Jaehyun.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He says, stepping into Jaehyun's personal space. Doyoung opens his mouth to diffuse the situation before it got out of control (fights gets recorded, get to the Dean, and get people suspended), when Johnny gets there.

"Chan!" Johnny says, anger clear in his voice. The stranger -Chan- looks at the taller man and pales. Johnny steps in front of Jaehyun, arms crossed over his chest, "What do you think you're doing?"

Chan seems to visibly sober up, "Uhm, hey Cap" he says, and Doyoung starts. This must be a member of the university's basketball team, of which Johnny is the captain, "I was just having some fun and this asshole is trying to ruin it"

"The fuck you say to me?" Jaehyun growls, barely held back by Johnny, "You were fucking harassing Doyoung, you asshole!"

"Jae, I can handle this" Johnny says before turning to Chan again, "You were coming onto someone who wasn’t interested, that is sexual harassment"

"What?" Chan scoffs, and okay, Doyoung has had enough. He walks around the basketball player, making sure he looks him straight in the eye.

"Yes, you were" Doyoung, and when Chan opens his mouth, obviously by expression about to call bullshit, Doyoung adds, "If you ever so much as look at me again, I'll make sure you can never have children. Or would you like me to go to your Coach?"

"I already am. This behaviour is unacceptable" Johnny says, and Chan blanches, "Leave"

After swearing and glaring at all three of them, Chan leaves.

Doyoung turns to look at the other two, who immediately ask him if he's okay. Jamie is peaking out behind Jaehyun, and she must have gone to fetch them.

"I'm okay, I promise" Doyoung says, trying not to be exasperated by their concern, "I was about to deck that asshole myself"

"Of course you were" Johnny says, giving a grin, and after another assurance from Doyoung that the band leader okay, Johnny and Jamie leave, going back to the table.

"I'm sorry that happened to you" Jaehyun says, and Doyoung gently punches him on the shoulder, "Ouch! What was that for?"

“It wasn't that hard, please" Doyoung rolls his eyes, but he leans in and gives Jaehyun a quick kiss on the cheek, "Listen to me. I am fine, okay? The situation is handled. Now buy me a drink"

Jaehyun's smile helps lessen the weight of nauseating disgust still heavy in Doyoung's stomach. Taking the younger man's hand, Doyoung turns to the bartender to order a drink.

-

"I want some fries" Jaehyun says suddenly, arm interlinked with WinWin, as the gang leaves their third bar, pleasantly tipsy and hungry.

"What?" asks WinWin, who'd been distracted by a pigeon.

"I want fries" Jaehyun says louder. The two men were walking ahead, leaving the others behind. Jaehyun sighs like he's some heroine in a romance books, "A big bag of fries, coated in melted cheese, bacon bits. And jalapenos!" He was getting excited about the idea. Jaehyun sees a Brocco's, his favorite fastfood place, in the near distance and subtly directs WinWin towards it.

"Can I get a salad then, Jae? I'm on a diet" the Chinese man says with a pout, and Jaehyun nods, now eagerly tugging WinWin as they get closer. He can smell the grease, and his mouth was watering. They stumble a little, and bursts out in giggles.

"Hey! Where are you two going?" They hear Yuta shout behind them just as they enter Brocco, "Don’t steal my boyfriend, Jung!"

"I'll get you ice cream, hyung!" Jaehyun shouts over his shoulder, catching a flash of teeth.

Jaehyun moans when the first forkful of fries enter his mouth, closing his eyes in bliss.

Greasy food after drinking alcohol is the _best_.

"There aren’t enough chocolate sprinkles on this" Yuta says mournfully, sitting across Jaehyun in the booth. He was staring down at his ice cream with a sad pout.

The creamy surface was decorated with tons of chocolate sprinkles and drizzled with chocolate.

Doyoung rolls his eyes like he can’t believe he's associated with the Japanese man, nibbling on a slice of cucumber he stole from WinWin's bowl.

-

Once everyone is finally ready to go home, Johnny lets Doyoung know that he's going home with Taeyong. The two men leave in Johnny's car, followed by Yuta and Sicheng.

Doyoung peaks over Kun's shoulder at Jaehyun who's laughing at something Ten says.

He smiles and takes out of his phone, sending the younger man a quick text. He keeps his eyes on Jaehyun as the guitarist reads his message.

They make eye contact and Jaehyun winks before focusing on Ten again.

Doyoung feels his stomach tighten in excitement before putting on his jacket.

The rest of them leave, Doyoung promising to meet up with Kun and Ten the following day for lunch.

Doyoung gets back to his place and quickly packs away the last of the clothes that he bought from home, cleaning up before changing into a comfortable pair of pajama pants and an oversized, white tshirt.

He's in the kitchen drinking some water so that he doesn't wake up the following morning feeling dehydrated when there's a knock on the door.

Jaehyun stands on the welcoming mat with a small overnight bag, smiling.

"Let's cuddle" Jaehyun says cheerfully, and Doyoung sighs, allowing the guitarist to enter the apartment.

"Make me breakfast tomorrow morning and I'll forget you just said that" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun flashes his dimples, unashamed.

They reach for each others hand as they walk to the bedroom.

-

"Did you know that when grass gets cut, the smell that gets released is because the grass is in distress?"

"If you dont shut up in the next 2 seconds I'll punch you in the balls, Jung"

"Sorry, sweetheart"

-

Second semester starts, things gets hectic since it's everyone's final few months as undergraduates, and life goes on.

The Battle of the Bands gets closer and closer, exciting and stressing out the bands. It's happening one week after exams end, which meant that everyone was busy with planning their practical examinations and going to rehearsals at the same time.

Doyoung, Taeil, Yuta, Jungwoo, Xiaojun, Chenle and Donghyuck were all vocal students and needed to write and record their own songs. The rest of them were sound designers, editors, composers and classical instrument players

BoTB required 3 songs, one which needed to be an original song. Jaehyun had been the writer in TFS, and he'd assumed he could continue doing so in NeoCity. Or at least co-write.

Alas.

"No" Doyoung says bluntly after their first rehearsal. Jaehyun had pulled him aside while the other members drank some water, telling the band leader about all the songs he'd written over the holidays, and the new ideas he had.

Jaehyun blinks.

"What do you mean no?" He asks, surprised by Doyoung's reply.

"I write the songs, Jung. No one else" Doyoung replies, clearing his throat, and Jaehyun automatically reaches for a nearby bottle of water, handing it to the older man.

"I'm aware of that, but I'd like to help. All the songs I wrote and composed for TFS won us the Battle each year" he replies while Doyoung drinks some water.

"I work better on my own" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun feels frustration creep in.

"This is a band, you can’t just work on your own, Doyoung" Jaehyun replies, trying to keep his voice calm, "I can finally get NeoCity the title this year"

Doyoung raises his eyebrow, and Jaehyun knows he just said the wrong thing. Doyoung takes a step forward, forcing the younger man to retreat.

"Listen here, Jung. I'm the leader of this group. I choose the songs we cover, I write and compose the original songs. I am where the buck stops" Doyoung, his voice soft and calm, which means that Jaehyun really messed up, "You're in this group because you're a great guitarist. If you want to write songs, start a solo career. We will all get this title this year because we worked together, with my selected music. That's how it works around here"

The silence in the room was stifling, the others listening on.

"I'm sorry" Jaehyun says stiffly, and Doyoung nods, giving him one final look before turning his back on the younger man, walking over to the table where his musical sheets were.

The others finish packing up, and with a hard swallow, Jaehyun puts his guitar away, leaving the practice room without looking at anyone.

His pride hurt, and his ego took a knock.

Jaehyun needed his sister. He knocks on Lisa's front door.

-

'Hey, are we still on to watch the LOTR movies? I'm free from 7pm onwards' Doyoung sends Jaehyun, who almost doesn’t reply out of pettiness.

'I'm busy, maybe next time. Sorry' Jaehyun replies. He was still hurt by how Doyoung spoke to him. Thomas has said worst to him, but it was harder to accept from Doyoung.

God, feelings really do complicate everything.

Doyoung replies less than a minute later.

'Don’t be like this, Jae. What happens in the practice room stays there. Let's not make it personal'

Jaehyun sighs.

'Okay, I'll be there. Be prepared to get your mind blown'

'I look forward to it'

"Are you seriously leaving me to go hang out with the boy who hurt your feelings?" Lisa asks, who secretly read the whole exchange over Jaehyun's shoulder.

The guitarist shrugs, accepting the glass of lemonade she hands to him.

"I have a list of boys I can put you on blind dates with" Lisa says as Jaehyun gets ready to leave, Jennie in the kitchen busy chopping vegetables for dinner.

"I'm good, babe" Jaehyun says, pulling on his jacket. He accepted the Tupperware filled with cookies that Lisa baked.

"Yeah, sure" Lisa mutters, and Jaehyun smiles, pulling her closer for a quick hug. She kisses him on the cheek, patting him on the shoulder.

"Good luck with Kim, you masochist" Lisa says, and Jaehyun rolls his eyes, "We'll make extra chicken in case you want to come for dinner"

"Not necessary, but thanks" Jaehyun says, and gives Lisa a final wave before walking to the elevator.

He's on the corner of Doyoung's before remembering that he was suppose to bring popcorn and fried eel.

"Shit" Jaehyun mutters, making a U-turn to go to the closest shop.

-

"You're late" Doyoung says as soon as he opens the door, and the guitarist smile, feeling the tension inside him draining aware.

"Sorry, darling. The eel was taking long to fry" Jaehyun says, stepping inside the apartment and kissing Doyoung on the lips.

"You're not mad anymore?" Doyoung asks, taking the bag from Jaehyun, who shakes his head.

"You were right, I was wrong" Jaehyun says, and Doyoung softens, stroking a hand across Jaehyun's cheek.

"What's the first movie we're watching?" Doyoung asks.

They start off with The Hobbit series, set up with a blanket thrown over them, popcorn and a plate full of eel between them. Doyoung bought them beer, and once the lights were off, they settled in.

Jaehyun would occasionally explain something to Doyoung, but left the older man to react and watch the movie himself.

Doyoung falls asleep an hour into the third movie, head on Jaehyun's shoulder, snoring softly. Jaehyun leans his cheek against Doyoung's head, smiling as he got through half of the film before tiredness caught up to him. It was nearly 3am, so he needed to sleep.

He manoeuvres them, making sure not to wake Doyoung as he settled them horizontally onto the couch, making sure the blanket covers them both.

Jaehyun switches off the TV, kisses the back of Doyoung's head, before falling asleep.

-

Johnny and Taeyong stumble in at 4am, kissing each other, ready to rip each other's clothes off when Johnny notices the two men sleeping.

"Shh" Taeyong says whispers when Johnny opens his mouth, "Let them sleep"

"Those two kids are in love" Johnny says as they tiptoe to his bedroom, and Taeyong nods. Once the door is closed behind them, Johnny picks up Taeyong, who wraps his legs around the taller man's yummy waist.

Jaehyun wakes up first the following morning, sniffing appreciatively at the delicious smell of coffee wafting into the lounge.

He presses soft kisses against the nape of Doyoung's neck, before smoothly moving himself from the back of the taller man and getting off the couch.

Doyoung merely snuggles deeper into the blanket.

"Morning, Tae" Jaehyun says, smiling when the older man wordlessly hands him a cup of coffee. Taeyong's hair was a mess and there was a huge hickey on his neck that Johnny's sweatshirt couldn't hide. He was making French toast and glazing some sliced bananas.

Since Taeyong enjoys cooking alone, Jaehyun sits and watches his best friend cooking while enjoying the delicious coffee.

"Did you and Doyoung have a fun night?" Taeyong asks as he reaches for the cinnamon in the cupboard. Jaehyun merely shrugs, drinking from his cup.

"Come on, Jae. I'm not Ten, so I won’t tease you to death if you two are hooking up again" Taeyong says and Jaehyun snorts.

"God, he'd probably think he's responsible for it" Jaehyun says, and Taeyong smiles victoriously.

"So you -are- hooking up!"

Jaehyun drinks the last dregs of his coffee.

"Can I have more?"

Johnny and Doyoung magically come into the kitchen just when Taeyong finishes making breakfast, both looking grumpily sleepy.

The four men eat breakfast, and then watches the rest of the LOTR rings. Kun, Ten and Mark join them for the last 2 movies, before they all go out for dinner.

-

NeoCity books a show at Babylon, an up-and-coming club near the campus. The boys were chuffed: it was one of the more exclusive and expensive places they've ever played, and the pay was more than they've ever gotten.

The show was the Friday before recess, and since the club only called them a week before that, the band had no choice but to practice daily.

Every night after dinner they'd be in their practice room, going hard and working through the new set list Doyoung worked out.

It was hectic, especially with school involved, and Jaehyun hasn't slept at his apartment for the last few days, since he goes home every night with Doyoung every night, acting as the older man' stress-reliever, in whatever capacity he needed it.

And Jaehyun was certainly enjoying it.

The Wednesday before the show, Taeil accidentally spills coffee on Jaehyun's white tshirt. Waving away the older man's apologies with a smile, Jaehyun takes off his shirt, wiping his chest where some of the coffee seeped through.

Luckily, he has his sweatshirt on him, but Jaehyun spends the rest of the practice shirtless, slightly glistening from sweating.

Jaehyun catches how Doyoung occasionally glances at him, and he smiles to himself.

Thank you, Taeil.

"Jaehyun" Doyoung says after practice, just as everyone starts leaving, planning on having drinks together. Jaehyun still needed to get dressed, but his guitar strap was feeling weird, so he needed to fix that first.

Jaehyun turns to Doyoung, who gives a pleasant smile, "Can you stay behind? I'd like your... input on something"

The guitarist raises a brow but nods, and he doesn't miss the looks the other three gave them as they leave.

"What's up?" Jaehyun asks, and Doyoung licks his lips as he sits down, his gaze hot as he spreads his legs.

"Play the chords to 'Pleasure'" Doyoung instructs, and Jaehyun looks at him in surprise before nodding. He reaches for his sweatshirt, but Doyoung tuts.

"The sweatshirt will be restrictive. Play without it" Doyoung says, not even bothering to make it sound like a good reason to be shirtless, and Jaehyun smirks.

He nods, putting on his snap back again. He picks up his guitar, making sure his muscles flex, before he starts playing.

Doyoung leans back in his chair, biting on his bottom lip.

-

"Fuck" Doyoung moans as Jaehyun's fingers presses up and down his spine before resting on his lower back, massaging the stressed muscles there.

Jaehyun grins, reaching for some more lavender oil, before continuing his massage, straddling Doyoung's legs.

Doyoung's back was warm and felt slick from the oil, the older man giving the occasional sigh and noise of pleasure, head resting on his folded arms.

The way their night had gone, Jaehyun was so sure it would end in hot sex. Instead, as soon as they got back to Doyoung and Johnny's place, the band leader started complaining about how tight his neck muscles felt, and 5 minutes later they ended up like this.

Jaehyun didn't mind- he enjoyed that Doyoung was soft and compliant below him, allowing Jaehyun to take care of him.

To take care of him. Jaehyun feels proud as Doyoung shifts under him, moaning again as Jaehyun presses into the base of his neck.

-

Doyoung wakes up the following morning with his muscles feeling pleasantly loose and relaxed. Jaehyun's magic hands got rid of all the stress knots, and Doyoung felt like he could do anything with how amazing his body felt.

He reaches out and frowns when he doesn't feel Jaehyun next to him. He's gotten used to feeling the younger man's warm, muscled body against his, and he immediately felt cold knowing he was alone.

Doyoung shakes himself out of the sleepy fuzz he was in, and reaches under his pillow, smiling when he pulls out a note. He folds it open.

'Hi sweetheart,

I have an early morning meeting to attend so I wont be there when you wake up. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Look after my heart, I left it with you.

Jae xx'

Doyoung snorts. Leave it to Jaehyun to quote Twilight.

Doyoung folds the note neatly, and puts it in the box with the others.

He then stretches, and gets up, hoping Johnny made some breakfast.

The show goes off without a hitch, everyone working together excellently.

The place goes wild by the end of their set, and Jaehyun smiles wildly, sweaty and exuberant.

Once their instruments are packed up they go to the bar, their drinks on the house for the rest of the night. The club is big, with two floors and no VIP section since everything was luxurious and expensive already. Everyone there was beautiful and looked like trust fund babies, with the occasional student sprinkled in the crowd.

WinWin, Ten, Kun and Taeyong were waiting for them at the bar, congratulating the band on a great show done. Doyoung gets everyone beers, and they sit down at a table reserved for them, enjoying the DJ now performing.

The band was still high on adrenaline and after a while, Doyoung decides to let loose, taking Jaehyun's hand and leading him onto the dancefloor.

Jaehyun was flying to the USA on Sunday to visit family, so this was the last night they'd be together for a week.

They only have eyes for each other as they get lost on the dancefloor, the music strumming through their bodies.

Doyoung doesn’t know who leaned in first for the kiss, but it was one of the best they've ever had, hot and dirty, almost inappropriate for public spaces. Their hips were moving together, and Doyoung tugs at Jaehyun's hair just like the younger boy likes it.

They end up at Jaehyun's, where the guitarist fucks Doyoung until the older man is screaming out Jaehyun's name.

They fall asleep holding hands.

-

The following morning Jaehyun makes Doyoung breakfast, and gives him the longest, most thorough kiss of his life before leaving.

Doyoung's legs feel weak for hours.

Except for Jaehyun, no one leaves during recess. Since BoTB was getting closer and the theory and practical exams were around the corner, most bands took this opportunity to practice and create the final set list they would be performing.

Doyoung was halfway done writing the original song, and he'd already chosen their two other songs, so he would spend the week finishing up. There would be no practice for NeoCity: WinWin's family were coming to visit, so Yuta would be distracted for the entire week, and Taeil's older, rich boyfriend was in town, so the bassist was indisposed.

Doyoung missed Jaehyun, and by Wednesday was thinking of Skyping with the younger man, maybe have some sexy screen time. He was excited about the idea of seeing Jaehyun, scrolling through his Instagram and wondering if he should message the guitarist, when he sees the picture.

Shock, blind jealousy and hurt. That's what Doyoung feels when he sees the picture on Jaehyun's page of the younger man sitting with some girl on his lapping, his arms comfortably around her waist, the two of them laughing about something.

His caption was 'Insert Caption', and there was no name tagged to the picture.

Doyoung's hands shake as he takes a screenshot of the picture, attaching it to a text he sends to Jaehyun.

'If you're gonna fuck other bitches while away, you could have at least let me know'

Doyoung throws his phone on his bed, and goes to the kitchen, hoping that Johnny didn’t finish the vodka.

"Uncle Jae, uncle, Jae" Tilly says excitedly, toddling towards Jaehyun who was lying by the pool. She was clutching his phone, waving it around. Tilly recently started getting fascinated by electronic devices, and she's been walking around with his phone the whole day, taking photos of the doors, the dogs and everything else.

"What is it, Tilly bear?" He asks, pulling her onto his lap, where he's lying on the poolside chair. She rested her hand on his bare chest, showing him the phone. The notification light was shining.

"Message!" The 2-year-old says, and Jaehyun smiles, taking the phone before kissing her on the forehead.

"Thank you, baby" he says warmly, letting her lean against him so that she can see the message. She was a curious little girl.

Jaehyun opens the message, smiling when he sees it's from Doyoung. They've been message nonstop, but it still gave Jaehyun butterflies when he gets a new text.

The smile slips off his face when he sees what the message. He reads it 3 times, looking at the picture a few times before he comprehended what he was reading.

"What. The. Duck" Jaehyun says, still mindful of Tilly there. Mina, his cousin, would kill him if her daughter suddenly started saying bad words.

His mind was racing, and he immediately calls Doyoung.

The older man doesn’t pick up.

"Shoot!" he says loudly.

Jaehyun hands Tilly over to his mom, and then goes to his room.

He lays down on his phone, calling Doyoung again. He doesn't reply. Jaehyun gives a soft "fuck", staring at the ceiling.

-

Doyoung puts his phone on silent after the third time Jaehyun calls. He rests his head on his folded arms, groaning loudly, while Johnny and Taeyong look at him worriedly. The two men came in just when Doyoung finished the vodka, both with equal looks of shock on their faces when Doyoung tells them about the girl he saw Jaehyun with. They looked at the picture, not knowing the girl. Both found it hard to believe that Jaehyun would ever do Doyoung this wrong, but the band leader wasn't hearing any of it.

"Maybe you should answer?" Taeyong says gently, and Doyoung groans again, shaking his already aching head.

"I never want to see Jung Jaehyun again for the rest of my life" Doyoung says, sounding muffled.

"But you two aren’t even- ouch!" Johnny says, and Doyoung doesn't look up to see that Taeyong wacked Johnny before he said something that possibly made Doyoung feel worse.

Taeyong and Johnny silently keep making their dinner, leaving Doyoung to be heartbroken on his own, like the guitarist wanted. He still appreciates the occasionally pat on his shoulder.

Jaehyun jolts upright and reaches for his phone again, calling Johnny.

"Hello?" Johnny asks cautiously, seeming to deliberately not say Jaehyun's name.

"Is Doyoung there?" Jaehyun asks and Johnny gives a "Uh-huh", "Please give the phone to him"

"Okay" Johnny says after a few seconds. Jaehyun hears Johnny say "Doyoung, it's for you". Doyoung answers the older man, and Johnny says, "It's just Kun".

"Hello" Doyoung says in a dull voice, and Jaehyun closes his eyes, his stomach lurching.

"Hi, please don’t hang up" Jaehyun says, and when Doyoung doesn't reply, but Jaehyun could hear him breathing, the guitarist continues, "That's my friend Lilly. We haven't seen each other in years, and we were just catching up. We've always been comfortable around each other, but it's nothing. It's nothing. You know you're the only one for me"

There’s a pause.

"Oh" Doyoung says softly, and Jaehyun waits, "I'm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that”.

"It's fine" Jaehyun says, even though it's kind of not, "We can talk in person when I get back, okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good" Doyoung says before giving a shuddering breath, and Jaehyun nods, even though Doyoung can’t see him. There's a long silence between them, "I need to go. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Of course. Bye" Jaehyun says, waiting until Doyoung hangs up, before he puts his phone away.

He lays back against the pillow. He'd been trying so hard to get ahold of Doyoung, that he didn’t even feel hurt that Doyoung immediately thought he was fucking someone else, until now. Doyoung should know, he should _know_ how Jaehyun felt against him. That he immediately jumped to that conclusion...

-

"Fuck" Doyoung says, thumping his head on the countertop.

Talking to Jaehyun has almost sobered him up completely, and hearing the hurt in the guitarist's voice that he couldn’t hide, _oh God._

"What's wrong?" Taeyong asks, and Doyoung wants to cry.

"I messed up" Doyoung says, and no one replies.

-

Doyoung feels worse the following morning when he wakes up.

He groans loudly, his hungover giving him a massive headache and dry mouth.

After a long shower Doyoung drinks two bottles of water, making himself a greasy breakfast, which he eats while sitting infront of the TV, staring blankly at the screen.

He's trying to think of the best, most sincere way to apologize. Jaehyun has always been good to him and has never made him feel like a convenient fuck while he was in other people's beds. Jaehyun is... God, Jaehyun is the best person Doyoung knows.

Yes he's cheesy and silly at times, but it's some of his best qualities. He's also kind, smart, a fantastic sound designer, amazing guitarist, and a beautiful man.

Doyoung loves that-

The band leader straightens up, his bowl almost sliding off his lap.

Love. Doyoung loves Jaehyun.

Doyoung has been ignoring why he's been so hurt and jealous since seeing that picture. He thought he was only pissed off that Jaehyun was messing around and wasting his time. But this whole time...

He knows that Jaehyun has all the right in the world to be mad. But knowing now he hurt the man he loves, Doyoung feels worse.

"Fuck" Doyoung says, sinking into the couch, closing his eyes.

He messed up so badly.

He checks the time. It was just after midnight in New York, so Jaehyun might still be awake.

He sends a quick message.

-

'Hi. If you're awake, please call me. I'll give you the choice to talk to me or not. I know I messed up, but I want us to talk now. I cant wait till next week when you're back'

Jaehyun stares at the message and bites his lip.

-

Doyoung stares at his cellphone screen.

It's been 15 seconds since he sent the message. It shows that Jaehyun read the message.

Fuck, Jaehyun hates him, he hates him, he hates him, Doyoung can’t deal with this, fucking hell-

Doyoung jumps when his phone rings, Jaehyun's name flashing on the screen.

Doyoung breathes.

"Hello?" Doyoung says as he answers the phone, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Hi, Doyoung" Jaehyun says.

No Doie, no sweetheart, no darling.

Doyoung closes his eyes.

"How are you?" Doyoung asks when the silence gets too long, and he can almost see Jaehyun shrug.

"I'm good. Just trying to catch as much sun as possible before getting back to cold Korea. I'm basically the babysitter for my niece's kid, Tilly, but she's an angel" Jaehyun says, a little more enthusiasm in his voice, and Doyoung drinks in the information, taking everything Jaehyun is willing to share.

It felt different talking to Jaehyun now that Doyoung knew he was in love with the younger man.

In love. He felt like a sixteen-year-old again.

"I'm really glad to hear that. Listen" Doyoung says, setting down his bowl, "I wanted you to call me back because, like I said, you should decide whether you want to talk to me. Jaehyun, I'm so sorry. I should never have jumped to conclusions like that. And how I reacted was uncalled for. You're an amazing guy, and I should not have disrespected you or our... thing like that. We're sleeping together, but we're also friends. So again, I'm sorry."

Doyoung shuts up, waiting for Jaehyun to reply. He has to wait a few seconds before the younger man does.

"Thank you for this. I was really hurt by your message, and the fact that you didn't even allow me to explain the situation was wrong. You know how I feel about you, Doyoung, and-"

"I dont" Doyoung interrupts before he could stop himself, and immediately slaps his hand over his mouth. Shit!

"What?" Jaehyun replies, sounding surprised. Doyoung takes a deep breathe, before deciding to be brave.

"I don't know how you feel about me. You treat me like you lo- like you care about me, and we have a good time together. But we've never spoken about feelings. And I know that's my fault, because I've always wanted this to be casual. But let's... let's talk about our feelings, I guess"

Doyoung's heart is now on his throat, and when Jaehyun replies, he can hear the smile in the younger man’s voice.

"I love you, Kim Doyoung. I've always loved you. You know, Doie. You've known for years, and I think that scared you" Jaehyun says, and Doyoung's cheeks pinken, because he thinks that Jaehyun is right, "You'll always be my love. You're it"

Doyoung feels tears in his eyes as he let's himself free.

"I love you too, Jae" he says, and hears how Jaehyun's breathe hitches, "I'm sorry it took this long for me to realize. And when I thought you possibly liked anyone else, I saw red. How I reacted was wrong, and I hope you can forgive you"

"Make it up to me when I get back" Jaehyun says, a smile in his voice, and Doyoung's heart lightens.

"I can’t believe we just did a cheesy love confession over the phone" Doyoung says, feeling warm as Jaehyun laughs, "I think we can push that first date up to next week"

"That sounds good, darling"

-

The two men talk for hours, chatting about nothing and everything.

By the time Jaehyun is yawning more than he's talking, and Doyoung has to force the younger man to go sleep, it's already 3am in New York.

"I'll call you as soon as I wake up" Jaehyun murmurs, and Doyoung smiles, still feeling ridiculously giddy.

"You better" Doyoung says, wishing he could touch the younger man, and that they were cuddling right now, "Goodnight, Jae"

"Good morning, sweetheart" Jaehyun says softly, "I love you"

Doyoung's heart goes ballistic at those three words.

"I love you too" he replies, and Jaehyun's happiness is practically radiating through the phone, "Go sleep"

They hang up after a few seconds, Doyoung putting his face in the throw pillow to squeal like a girl.

Jaehyun loves him. He -loves- Doyoung.

It was one thing to always know it, but another for it to be said out loud. This could have happened years ago, but Doyoung was never ready for it.

To be honest, Doyoung still doesn't know if he's completely ready yet for the immensity of their relationship, but the last few months, and maybe years, has shown that perhaps he is.

Jaehyun has put up with everything they've been through and how Doyoung has treated their thing, for over a year now, and Doyoung fucking deserves some happiness and loving. He deserves a guy like Jaehyun as his boyfriend. He'll never get better than him, and he doesn't want anyone else.

"Morning" he hears behind him, and jumps when Johnny is standing there, showered and dressed. Doyoung could hear Taeyong singing in the older man's room.

He smiles, accepting the kiss Johnny gives him on the cheek.

"Good morning, hyung" He says cheerfully, and Johnny looks at him in surprise, probably trying to figure out why he isn't sulking anymore, "Let's go for lunch, I'll treat you and Taeyong hyung"

"Okay?" Johnny answers, "Everything good?"

"Yes, I think so" Doyoung says, getting up, patting Johnny on the shoulder as he moves towards the kitchen, "I have some stuff to tell you two"

Taeyong tears up when Doyoung tells them what happened. Johnny laughs at him, handing over a tissue. Taeyong pats away his tears, saying that he's been waiting for this moment for years now.

"Years?" Doyoung asks, "But we only started sleeping together last year"

"Please, Dons" Taeyong says, as if he has no patience for Doyoung's slow-wittedness, "That boy has been in love with you since the moment he met you 4 years ago. You know that, I know that, the birds know that. You may have been a little... slower dealing with your feelings, but you two were made for each other. It's fate"

Taeyong starts with the tears again, and their waitress gives them a worried as she brings them their lunches.

"I'm lucky" Doyoung says, smiling dumbly at his prawn pasta, "I can’t wait to see him Monday"

"I'll make sure I'm not in the apartment that day, so you two can have some privacy" Johnny drawls, giving a saucy wink. Doyoung gives his best friend a fond eye roll, stealing a chicken wing from Johnny's plate.

-

Doyoung and Jaehyun talk on the phone everyday, as they usually did, but doing so as two people who were In Love instead of merely fuck buddies made all the difference.

Doyoung found himself blushing and giggling more than ever, much more susceptible to Jaehyun's cheesiness and romantic plans. And _wow_ , Jaehyun has been holding back.

He sounds even more into Doyoung than he did before, his voice deep and beautiful and the poetry of his words seducing Doyoung. The fact that he'd been truly holding back the full extent of his feelings for Doyoung was awe-inspiring and made the band leader feel responsibility for taking care of that heart.

Doyoung aches for him to come back to Korea. To come back to him.

-

"See you tomorrow, sweetheart" Jaehyun says, waiting for Doyoung to say "Bye" before ending the call. He puts away his phone before the flight attendant could tell him to and leans back, smiling to himself.

Jaehyun and his parents were on their way back to Korea, and they'd land late that Sunday evening. Jaehyun was sitting two rows infront of his parents, and planned on sleeping for most of the flight.

He was excited to seeing Doyoung on Monday. The younger man already spoke to Johnny, telling him what happened, and the drummer agreed to sleep over at Taeyong's that night.

Jaehyun planned to wine and dine Doyoung's socks off, then make love to him until neither of them could walk afterwards.

Just remembering the way Doyoung said he loved him made Jaehyun's entire body tingle and his heart swell, and he wanted to hear those words for the rest of his life. They could finally be together in every way, and Jaehyun was now able to give all of himself to Doyoung.

He was ready for whatever came in the future for them.

Before Jaehyun put his phone on flight mode, he sent Doyoung a quick 'I love you'.

Doyoung replies quickly.

'Put your phone away or you'll get the plane crashed'

Jaehyun grins and sends him a heart before doing what he's told.

-

The Jungs land in South Korea just after 11pm, and arrives at their house at midnight, tired and happy to be home.

Jaehyun wished his parents goodnight, and went up to his room. After taking a long shower he only put on a pair of boxers briefs, hair still slightly damp as he gets into bed. He'd unpack the following morning, since he had no class on Monday mornings. But for now, Jaehyun had some plans to make.

He calls Johnny.

"Hey, Jae!" Johnny says in English, "Are you back in Korea?"

"Hi, hyung. Yes I am" Jaehyun says, settling against his pillows, "I need to ask you a favor"

"Oh?" Johnny replies, sounding intrigued.

Jaehyun grins before he explains his plan.

Johnny teases Jaehyun for 15 solid minutes before agreeing to help the younger man. They both say goodnight before hanging up.

Jaehyun calls another number.

"Jae!" Lisa answers sleepily, but still sounding happy.

"Hey, babe" he says, "Did I wake you up?"

"No, no. I just went to bed. How was the flight back?" She asks, and the two guitarists speak for over an hour, having a catch-up. Jaehyun promises to meet her for lunch sometime this week.

Jaehyun curses when he hangs up and sees that it's 1:34am. Doyoung will be asleep by now, so Jaehyun can’t call him.

Trying not to sulk, Jaehyun puts on his alarm and plugs his phone into the charger. He settles under his duvet, staring at his ceiling for a few seconds.

He'll need to unpack his clothes the following morning and repack his duffel with everything he'll need for university, before leaving his parents' house so that he can get to his 1pm lecture.

Jaehyun is busy creating a mental grocery list when his phone rings. The guitarist jolts up, grabbing his phone and answers.

"Hi, darling"

Doyoung had gone out with a few class friends and came in just after 1:30am. Johnny was still up, watching a rerun of "That 70's Show" and casually mentioned that he spoke to Jaehyun earlier.

Doyoung immediately called him, because he wanted to say goodnight. He called Jaehyun at 1:37am because he wanted to say goodnight.

Ten would never let him live this down.

Doyoung murmurs a soft "Goodnight, Jae" before ending the call.

He smiles down at his phone.

"You two are so cute" Doyoung hears behind him, and turns to see Johnny standing in his bedroom doorway, a teasing smile on his face.

Doyoung raises a super judgemental eyebrow.

"Didn't you want to propose to Taeyong after two days of knowing him?" Doyoung asks in a sardonic tone, smirking at the blush that creeps onto Johnny's cheeks.

-

Jaehyun gets back to campus before midday, opening his apartment door to Jun sitting in the lounge sleepily drinking his cup of coffee. He must have worked last night.

They hug, talk about their recesses, and when Jaehyun leaves for class, the Chinese man looks more alive.

Luckily Jaehyun's classes end around 3pm so he has time to prepare for tonight.

He goes to the afternoon market, the liquor shop and a local artisan shopping center. By the time he gets home, Jaehyun's arms are ready to fall off because of how heavy the bags are. He couldn't care less, however, since he was seeing Doyoung in a few hours, and will hopefully give the older man the best night of his life.

-

Johnny comes over at 5pm to drop off his and Doyoung's spare set of apartment keys.

-

Doyoung gets home at 6pm, exhausted but excited because Jaehyun said he'd come over at 7pm. It gave him enough time to shower, clean up the place and order them some cold, wheat noodles and maybe even buy a bottle of red wine.

The band leader opens the front door and he's surprised when he sees that apartment is dark. Usually the kitchen light was left on, but-

Wait, there was a glow coming from the lounge. Doyoung puts down his bags, and goes to inspect.

Inside the lounge, he gasps, staring at the scene in front of him.

There were lit candles _everywhere_ ; on the tables, on the window sill, on the floor. All of different shapes and sizes, giving the room a beautiful, golden glow. There were also bunches of flowers on the table, surrounded by the candles, wild and multi-colored.

In the center was Jaehyun sitting on a picnic blanket, looking gorgeous despite only wearing denim jeans and a simple black tshirt. There was a bottle of wine on the blanket with 2 wine glasses, and there were platters of food too.

Doyoung was staring at everything with an open mouth. Jaehyun smiles as he gets up, expertly not stepping on anything as he stands in front of Doyoung.

"Hi sweetheart" he says softly, and Doyoung says nothing, simply wrapping his arms around the older man, kissing him hello.

After Doyoung kisses Jaehyun thoroughly, taking the younger man's breathe away, the two men sit down on the blanket.

Doyoung stares at the spread in front of him. Jaehyun got them cold wheat noodles, grilled pork back, his favorite quinoa salad, chocolate covered strawberries and short cakes. While Jaehyun poured them wine, Doyoung looked at him in wonder.

"When did you plan this?" Doyoung asks, resting his hand on Jaehyun's leg, the younger man handing his glass of wine to him. They clink their glasses together, eyes only on each other.

"I got the idea yesterday. Johnny gave me the spare key" he says, taking Doyoung's hand and intertwining their fingers together.

"This is amazing, thank you" Doyoung says, leaning in and tasting the wine on Jaehyun's lips, "I missed you"

"I missed you too, sweetheart" Jaehyun says, and Doyoung smiles. He looks at the candles.

"Let's just hope our night doesnt get ruined by the apartment burning down" the older man says, and when Jaehyun laughs, he adds" I'm pretty sure this is illegal"

"Oh shit" Jaehyun says, and after blowing out all the candles, he puts on the lights, leaving it at its lowest glow, "Better?"

"Better" Doyoung says, pulling Jaehyun down for another kiss.

They eat their dinner, their shoulders brushing, unable to keep their eyes off each other.

"So" Doyoung says as he finishes a strawberry, watching Jaehyun as he drinks some wine. His legs were thrown over the younger man's thighs, and they were listening to music, "We need to talk about what happened last week"

Jaehyun puts down his glass and nods.

Doyoung feels his pulse quicken; the older man was still ashamed by his reaction, and still felt like he deserved to be yelled at or something by Jaehyun.

Instead, Jaehyun sits patiently, waiting for Doyoung to talk.

He takes a deep breathe.

"I'm sorry" he starts off, looking down as he talks, "I was jealous and not thinking rationally as soon as I saw that picture. I should have calmed down first before saying anything, or I could have asked you who that girl was. But... but I didnt"

Doyoung brushes his fingers over Jaehyun's, before taking his hand again, kissing the back of it.

"I know how you feel about it. I do. And you'd never hurt me, or even look at another person, whether we were just casually fucking or not. I guess I was just not being reasonable because of how I feel about you" Doyoung smiles, "I love you, Jung. You're also it for me. And I hope you can forgive me"

Jaehyun simply stares at Doyoung for a few seconds before nodding. Doyoung feel himself sag with relief. The guitarist leans in, resting his forehead against Doyoung's.

"I forgive you" he murmurs, and Doyoung feels the heaviness in his heart lighten, "I love you too, Kim"

The two men stay like that for a few seconds, before Jaehyun pulls back slightly, looking Doyoung in the eyes for a second, before kissing the older man. This kiss was charged and hot, and once Jaehyun has Doyoung on his back, he started unbuttoning the older man's shirt.

-

Jaehyun and Doyoung end up in the older man's bed after getting naked in the lounge. They make love, Jaehyun gently cupping Doyoung's face as he moves in him, the men moaning into each other's mouths.

Doyoung comes sighing Jaehyun's name, and the younger man buries his face in Doyoung's neck when he orgasms inside the older man, shuddering through it.

They lay like that for a few minutes, silent and holding each other. The lights were off, with only the outside light streaming through the open window. Jaehyun brushes his fingers over Doyoung's spine, his eyes closed as he enjoys the moment.

Doyoung stirs after a few seconds, sitting up and pressing a kiss against Jaehyun's brow. The younger man open his eyes, smiling at Doyoung.

"I have something to show you" Doyoung says, flicking on his bedside lamp so that light poured into the room. Jaehyun watches the older man open up a draw from the bedside table, and takes out a small, plain box. It was made of wood, and had the letters _D.K_. carved into it.

Doyoung puts in on his lap, and Jaehyun sits up straighter, now feeling curious.

"What's inside?" Jaehyun asks, surprised when Doyoung gives the box to him.

"Open it" Doyoung says, looking strangely nervous. Jaehyun does as he's told, and reveals a bunch of small, folded up notes inside the box. He looks up at Doyoung then picks up one letter, opening it.

"It's one of my notes" Jaehyun says softly, and Doyoung nods.

"All of them are. I've kept them all" Doyoung says, sounding embarrassed, and Jaehyun feels touched. He smiles at Doyoung, who has a blush on his cheeks.

"You're quite a romantic, Kim Doyoung" Jaehyun says, smiling wider when Doyoung rolls his eyes, attempting to look haughty

"I was recycling" Doyoung says, and Jaehyun kisses him, gratified when Doyoung melts against him.

"My boyfriend, the environmentalist" Jaehyun murmurs, and Doyoung leans back to look at him.

"Is that what we are? Boyfriends?" Doyoung asks. He looks hopeful and pleased at the idea. Jaehyun nods.

"Yes" Jaehyun says simply, and Doyoung gives a wide, gummy smile.

The two men don’t say much after that about relationship statuses, merely reading through some of the notes, Doyoung teasing Jaehyun about how cheesy he is.

-

"Do I still have to wait until June to take you on a date?"

"Depends"

"On what?"

"On whether you'll wash my back tomorrow morning"

Jaehyun smiles, pressing his lips against Doyoung's forehead, as they lay cuddled together.

"Done"

-

Doyoung and Jaehyun are officially boyfriends, and life goes on.

As the final few months of the academic year begin, the two men mostly only see each other during practice.

With exams starting in a few weeks, there was no time for dates and cute romantic gestures as everyone was simultaneously trying to keep up with rehearsals and work on their practicals.

It was hard moving from the studio or design room straight into rehearsal spaces, but everyone wanted to be the BoTB winner, so they did what they had to do, with the little time they had.

It didn’t stop Ten from somehow taking the credit for Doyoung and Jaehyun's relationship, nor preventing Yuta and WinWin from having a massive party celebrating their 3rd anniversary. Little moments of reprieve was what kept everyone sane.

Doyoung and Jaehyun squeezed in one lunch or dinner date atleast twice a week, and ensure they fell asleep in each other's arms. Doyoung met Mr. and Mrs. Jung when they surprised Jaehyun one Sunday with a quick visit, and they seemed to love him.

-

Everyone survives their written exams, and start final preparations for their practicals.

Jaehyun has do sound design for three original songs, and curate a studio space where the examiners can listen to them, while going through the process of him creating these sounds. It had been hard work, but creating these songs, and putting together his own space, was fulfilling and exciting.

Luckily the music students had their pracs the first week, so he only had to wait till the Tuesday before he was examined. He and Johnny had their exam spaces next to each other and sat outside anxiously, drinking their tea while the examiners were inside.

-

Two weeks later and everyone had officially completed their exams. With final catalogs handed in, and late assignments emailed to lecturers, they were free!

Celebrations were in order, and with only one week before BoTB, they were allowed one night of fun.

They all went to the closest bar they could find, where drinks and food was ordered, and everyone was slightly more relaxed. The Battle was on all their minds, but they afford to avoid thinking about it for now.

Doyoung gave Jaehyun a brilliant smile when the younger man got back to their table, handing over a bottle of beer.

The two men were kissing and in their own little bubble, when Lisa comes over to join them.

"Eww, you're in a public space" she says as she sits next to Jaehyun in the booth, interrupting a quick kiss. Doyoung gives her a look.

"You can leave" he says dryly, and Lisa ignores him, focusing on Jaehyun.

"I quit TFS" she says with no preamble, grinning at the twin shocked expressions on the two men's faces.

"You quit?" Jaehyun asks, voice laced with surprise, "But why? You love the band"

"You loved The Foreign Swaggers too, and you left" Lisa points out, and yeah, she had him on that one. She takes his hand, and he squeezes it gently, "I had to, Jae. I needed to gain my freedom back as an artist. And let's face it- I haven't been happy in the band since you left. Even before that"

Jaehyun feels warmth and pride in his chest, "I'm proud of you, babe"

"Thank you. Walking out during practice today was the best feeling ever" Lisa replies, smiling before adding teasingly, "Although I definitely wasn't as dramatic as you when you quit. I still can’t believe you threw Mini at Thomas' head before you left"

"Wait" Doyoung interjects, staring at his now blushing boyfriend with an impressed look, "You threw your guitar at Thomas? So that's why you replaced it!"

"It was worth it at that moment" Jaehyun mutters, and let's Lisa and Doyoung laugh, before changing the topic, "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm joining BlackPink!" Lisa says, grinning when the two men applaud, "Jennie asked me to be their guitarist, and since I've been there for most of their practices and know the songs they're performing, itll be easier practicing with them this last week before the Battle next week"

The three of them order a shot of vodka to celebrate, and after annoying Doyoung and giving Jaehyun a kiss on the cheek, Lisa leaves to rejoin Jennie and the other girls of BP.

As it gets to the end of the night, the two men decide to go back to Jaehyun's. They say goodnight to their friends, who are staying out a little longer.

Back at Jaehyun and Jun's apartment, the two men find the place empty. Jun left a note on the fridge saying that he's staying at Minghao for the night, so the apartment was theirs for the night.

The two men shower together, before Doyoung makes them some ramen. They sit in the lounge, watching some 'Shameless' before going to bed.

-

The following morning Jaehyun wakes up to the sound of someone pounding their fist on the front door. The sound was loud and was not stopping. Jaehyun gets up, pulling on his sweatpants before padding to the lounge, closing his bedroom door so that Doyoung wouldn't be woken up.

The pounding doesn't stop until Jaehyun opens the door.

He sighs when he sees who is standing on the other side.

"What do you want"

Thomas's face is red with rage, with eyes hard and cold. He shoves past Jaehujn into the apartment.

"What did you say to her?" He demands and Jaehyun rolls his eyes, keeping his expression calm as he joins Thomas in the lounge.

"What are you talking about?" Jaehyun drawls, and Thomas's face twists into an ugly snarl. Jaehyun almost smiles. There's that expression that used to give Jaehyun horrible anxiety and yet still made him eager to please.

"Lalisa!" Thomas shouts, and Jaehyun works hard not to flinch or step back. Jaehyun is his own person. He's not Thomas's anymore to bully and boss around, "What did you say to her? What bullshit did you feed my guitarist that made her quit a -week- before the Battle?"

Thomas was breathing hard now, hands clenched. Jaehyun's heart was pounding despite how calm he appeared.

"I told her nothing. I only found out last night that she quit" Jaehyun says, then gives a bland smile, "I don’t know why you're surprised. It was bound to happen eventually. Soon everyone is TFS will quit, then it'll only be you"

Jaehyun found pleasure in the way Thomas's eyes widened, as if shocked that Jaehyun would dare speak to him this way. A year ago Jaehyun wouldn't have. But he's not that person anymore.

"You little shit" Thomas says, stepping into Jaehyun's space, "You think this will win you the Battle, Jung? I replaced you within an hour. I can do the same with Lisa. And when I win the Battle, it'll be prove that you two are nothing without me"

Jaehyun straightens himself to his full height, "You're going to be alone, Thomas. No one will want anything to do with you. You know why? Because you're rotten, and mean, and think winning comes before anything else. So good luck- we'll see who wins"

Thomas gives him one last glare before leaving the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Jaehyun keeps his chin up for a few extra seconds before slumping into himself, sitting down on the closest chair. He takes a deep breathe.

"Are you okay?" He hears behind and turns, watching Doyoung walk towards him with a blanket wrapped around him. The older man sits next to Jaehyun, who nods.

"I'm fine" Jaehyun says. Shaken, but fine. No encounter with Thomas was ever good for him, "Did you hear everything?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to make things worse" Doyoung says and Jaehyun smiles, kissing him, "I'm proud of you for the way you stood up for yourself like that"

"He can't control me. Not anymore" Jaehyun says, and Doyoung strokes his cheek, before leaning his head on the younger man's shoulder.

They stay like that for a while.

-

It's the day before the Battle, and Johnny's the one who suggests that everyone get together for lunch. It was partly a final time to relax before the show, and to celebrate everyone having survived another year of university.

They decided on a fancy restaurant by the Han River, expensive but -really- nice. Besides, Taeil's boyfriend knew the owner, and got them a fat discount if they were a group bigger than 12, which they were.

Everyone dressed up, wearing their best sports blazers and shiny shoes. They all arrived after 1pm, hungry and looking forward to lunch.

Appetizers, entrees then dessert are ordered and eaten, everyone chatting and relaxing before the big day tomorrow.

After lunch, they all hang out long enough until they absolutely needed to leave for the final practice.

Long hugs and some inappropriate kisses are shared around, and then everyone disperses, ready for another long night in their practice spaces.

-

Much, much later that night, Jaehyun and Doyoung are laying in bed, Jaehyun holding the older man. Both men couldn’t sleep.

"Tell me we're going to win tomorrow" Doyoung says softly, voice so tiny and unsure that Jaehyun physically turns him around so that they're facing each other.

Jaehyun cups his face, "We're going to do our best tomorrow, and our best is going to get us the title. I bet my Pokemon collection on it"

Doyoung laughs, which is what Jaehyun was going for.

"We're going to win" he says more confidently and Jaehyun smiles, kissing him.

"I love you" Jaehyun says gently, and Doyoung presses his hand over the younger man's heart. He imagined that he could hear the truth of those words in the way Jaehyun's heart was beating.

"I love you too, Jae"

-

The following morning while Jaehyun is taking a shower, Doyoung sits on the bed, his head between his legs as he tries to breathe.

Months of hard work has lead up to this day. The band has to be at the City Hall before 11am for soundcheck. Since there were so many bands, and the show started at 6pm, it had to be that early.

Doyoung takes one long, last breathe before laying on his back again, so that when Jaehyun comes out of the shower a few seconds later, he doesn't get alarmed by his boyfriend having a mini panic attack.

-

NeoCity has their soundcheck after BlackPink, so Jaehyun watches them with pride, and Doyoung with a little intimidation.

When the band goes on afterwards, they get through their set without a hitch, even getting a smattering of applause from their fellow competitors.

They have a quick lunch of ramen and fried rice, before meeting with the organizers of the BoTB who goes through the rules with them, and wishes them all luck.

The winner of the battle gets 200,000 won and a feature on a popular Korean music magazine. It's been all Doyoung's been dreaming of for as long as he's wanted to create this band, and he was _this_ close to achieving that dream.

Everyone gets ready at Johnny and Doyoung's place. They wore shirts they got made with a neon green NCT on it, and they wore black jeans with it.

They went back to the venue at 5pm, already filling up with people. Every band got a room they could wait in backstage, which included a couch and bottles of water. Johnny tapped his drumsticks on the coffee table while Taeil did vocal warming exercises. Yuta was watching anime on his phone, and Doyoung and Jaehyun sat while holding hands.

When the Battle officially began, all the bands first had to on stage to get introduced. They all got loud cheers from the crowds, especially TFS, WayV and NeoCity. It was gratifying to Jaehyun knowing that so many people supported them.

The judges were then introduced, and then everyone went backstage again. Each band had 15 minutes onstage, and by the end there would be a top 4 announcement, from which one band would be the ultimate winner.

Up first was BlackPink. Lisa and Jaehyun shared a quick fist bump.

WayV are after BlackPink, amazing as always in the way they mix rock and classical music. YangYang's solo violin piece gets a roar from the crowd, especially as it swells into the guitar. Their final song, "Face To Face", is sweet and raw, somehow beautifully with the rest of their set. Even Doyoung is almost in tears by how well the Chinese group perform.

-

After KARD, NeoCity are up. They play their hearts out, sticking to what they know best, which is punkrock.

They cover "21 Guns" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" before doing their original song. The crowd loves the last song, practically howling at Jaehyun's deep, low growl as he sings "Pleasure, it's the feel of your body, the loving of your soul and your body moving against mine". Jaehyun and Yuta does a guitar riff together, foreheads pressed together as they play their hearts out, eyes on each other.

At the end of their set they get a long, loud cheer. Doyoung's heart is pounding as he bows, before leaving the stage.

They all share a long hug backstage, congratulating each on a job well done.

The rest of the bands play. TFS is unfortunately fantastic, getting the loudest applause of the night. United2 is also amazing, Taeyong debuting a new rap song that somehow slaps hard with Jungwoo on the drums.

By the end of the final band playing, Doyoung's nerves are shot.

The judges deliberate for a long time, before finally deciding on the top 4. There is a huge monitor that flashes the names of the bands.

Along with TFS, WayV and Dreamies, NeoCity made it into the top 4.

Doyoung's knees go weak when he sees their name, and only Jaehyun hugging him holds him up.

It was anyone's game now.

As the judges come onstage for the final announcement of the winner, Doyoung keeps his head high, tightly clasping Jaehyun's hand.

-

"Thank you to all the bands that participated this year! Weren't they amazing?" Lee Soo Man asks, the main judge of this competition. The crowd goes wild, and he allows it for a few seconds, before continuing, "Now, to announce the winner"

Doyoung's doesn't breathe. The tension onstage is palpable.

"And the winner of the Battle of the Band 2019 is..."

There's a long pause. Doyoung closes his eyes.

-

Everyone leaves the stage after the winner gets announced. The winning band gets to go back onstage to do an encore.

Doyoung gets a long hug from Kun backstage.

"Congratulations! You deserve the title"

"Thank you, my friend"

Doyoung steps back and watches WayV go back onstage to do their encore.

He holds back his tears long enough to drag Jaehyun into a random room, where he sits on the younger man's lap and cries in his arms.

"We did amazing, sweetheart" Jaehyun murmurs softly as Doyoung's tears soaks his shirt, "Coming second is nothing to be ashamed about. We'll kick their butts next year, okay"

Doyoung gives a shudder before nodding. They stay in the room until Doyoung's eyes are dry, before rejoining everyone else.

WayV have finished their encore, and everyone was having a glass of champagne. Ten hands Doyoung a glass before wrapping his arm around the taller man's waist. Doyoung smiles at his best friend.

"Congrats, Tennie" he says sincerely, and Ten kisses him on the cheek.

They do a loud cheers, Kun giving a quick speech before they drink.

Doyoung's heart still hurt a little, but it was nice seeing Xuxi cry with happiness as he's hugged by Jungwoo, and watching how Xiaojun, Hendery and YangYang run around with the trophy.

Seeing Thomas throw a tantrum backstage, and the members of his band walking away from him definitely cheered Doyoung up even more.

He feels someone take his hand, and turns to look at Jaehyun. The younger man gives him a smile.

"You okay, darling?" Jaehyun asks, and Doyoung nods, finding it to be true.

Tonight was for celebration and happiness.

And besides, Doyoung thinks as he squeezes Jaehyun's hand, maybe he didn't completely lose. He's with the boy he loves, after all.

Next year the title would be theirs.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> All kudos and comments are appreciated!!
> 
> Once again, thank you to Carly (taeyongseo) for allowing me to write this in her cc. I love you! Go check out her ao3.
> 
> Come chat to me!
> 
> Twitter: Malikah_Meyer  
> CuriousCat: malikahmeyer
> 
> Love you all!  
> M xx


End file.
